To Be A Monster
by Bookwyrm86
Summary: Undergoing a major edit! The story of Remus & Co. The life of a werewolf is difficult to say the least. With the help of friends, and a special girl, Remus learns that he does not have To Be A Monster. This is my version of what should have happened! AU!
1. Prologue: Chances Chapter 1:Time To Go

**Summary: I stink at summaries, and since I don't have the entire thing planned out, it is subject to change. Basically, this will be a story of Remus Lupin. I am bummed out about the way my favorite werewolf's life played out, so I am going to fix it. The Marauder's and company are still out to fight Voldemort, and Harry will join in once we get that far, but this is mostly about Remus and his quest to make the world a better place for a race that is cursed to die a rather horrific death. I am completely open to suggestions, so if you think something should happen to make it more interesting, let me know, and I just might put it in :D**

**Disclaimer: Self-explanatory I think. I own nothing, except a few original characters that may or may not appear in this fic. Also, I am a broke-ass college student, so there would really be no point in trying to take me to court. Unless you are really interested in my second-hand, paperback book collection.**

**I love reviews. Especially reviews that inform me of how well I am writing. Aspiring authors love to know how they are doing. Just so you know, I have not had any of my stories looked at by a beta, so mistakes are mine. Let me know and I will try to fix them.**

**To Be a Monster**

Prologue: Chances

_Snarling, the wolf, stalked towards the cowering young man in the corner of the dilapidated old building. He sensed fear, and planned to take advantage of it. Taking another cautious step, the wolf heard the man let out a satisfying whimper of fear. A crash behind him made the wolf spin around in alarm, his fur standing on end. He had not sensed danger coming._

"_Moony! No!" shouted a familiar voice. A dark-haired young man glanced briefly behind him, "Peter, get Severus out!" he shouted before transforming into the stag that often bossed the wolf around. Moony crouch, snarling as the stag leapt between him and the strange man in the corner. Prongs lowered his head, pushing the wolf back. Moony prepared to leap when a large, snarling black dog knocked him off balance. This was _not_ how the pack was supposed to behave. He wanted his dinner! NOW!_

"_Severus, we have to leave now! They can't control him long!" Peter Pettigrew shouted, pulling the stranger frantically towards the door._

_Moony made to follow them, and was promptly tossed aside by sharp antlers. Snarling, Moony turned his attention on the familiar animals in front of him. They would learn not to keep him from a meal. He didn't care if they were pack. He was _hungry.

ooOoo

Remus Lupin woke to the usual blast of pain that followed the night of a full moon. Over the last two years, it had gotten a bit better; as James, Sirius, and Peter had learned how transform into Animagi and sooth the wolf in him. Today he was hurting like he hadn't in well over two years, and he wasn't sure why. His forehead wrinkled in pain, and he struggled to open his eyes.

Madam Pomfrey was standing next to him, a concerned look on her face. Remus realized with a jolt that his friends weren't there, as they always were after each moon. Remus tried to shift to a more comfortable position, and felt a stabbing pain in his belly. He let out a pained hiss, falling back. Madam Poppy Pomfrey turned to him immediately, her face revelaing an alarmed and sad expression.

"Oh, Remus," she said soflty, gently brushing his hair back. Remus was struggling to push pain back, not certain where, specifically, it was coming from. It felt like everywhere.

"What, happened?" Remus asked, hoarsely. He suddenly felt a gripping fear that he had hurt, or worse bit or killed one of his friends. He would never forgive himself if he had.

"Remus, there was a problem last night," Poppy started, her voice gentle as she tried to keep him clam. Remus suddenly felt tears in his eyes.

"I h-hurt s-someone?" Remus stuttered in alarm, his face getting very rapidly pale. Poppy shook her head quickly,

"No dear, everyone is okay. Last night Sirius and Severus got in a fight. I guess that Severus was demanding to know where you went every month and why no one seemed to know about it but you and your friends. He started in on Sirius' family, and it degenerated from there. Unfortunately, Sirius was angry and blurted out how to get past the Whomping Willow.

"Severus decided to go out there last night. When James found out about it, he ran down there to stop him, as did Sirius and Peter when they realized what could happen. Severus was backed into a corner as you were changing. James transformed into a stag, I believe to hold you off, and Sirius jumped in as a dog. From what they said, the wolf was not happy. He could sense the fear and hatred coming from Severus and tried to attack him for it. James and Sirius had a hard time keep you in control.

"That is why you are so injured. I believe Sirius had to bite you several times and you were hit with James' antlers quite often to keep you under control. Peter pulled Severus out of the Shack, and dragged him up to the Headmaster's office. All of the teachers stood outside the Shack last night, but none of us was really in a position to help your friends from a cornered werewolf. We simply had to hope they would be okay, and to prepare for the worst.

"By this morning, you were pretty beat up, dear. Sirius and James are pretty bruised, but otherwise okay. Other than James threatening to kill Sirius that is. They are both very upset at how much they had to hurt you last night. Severus has agreed to have his memory of the incident modified, but only after he talks to you."

Poppy looked at Remus sadly. The young werewolf had tears running down his bruised cheeks. He looked completely crushed. His shoulders were trembling, and it obviously hurt him to have even that much movement. Poppy knew that the young wolf placed trust in very few people, and this would completely destroy what little faith he had in humans.

"Is there anything I can do, dear?" she asked in concern. Remus shook his head slightly,

"Please keep them out. I need to talk to the Headmaster and Severus," he murmured shakily. Poppy nodded, gently squeezing his hand, and then left the room.

ooOoo

Remus was sitting propped up in bed, staring at his hands an hour later when the Headmaster entered the room with a rather grumpy looking Severus Snape. Dumbledore gave Remus a concerned look, seeing how badly hurt he was.

Remus looked up at Severus, pain in his eyes. "Severus, I am sorry for what they did to you, and for what I could have done to you. Would have done to you, had James not stopped me. You did nothing to deserve that, and I am glad that I didn't bite you, or kill you," he said softly, his voice shaking somewhat. Before Severus could respond in any way, Remus looked up at Dumbledore.

"Sir, I am sorry for the trouble I caused. I should never have allowed this to go on and I should have left when James and Sirius figured out what I am. There is no excuse for me to allow them or any of the other students to be put into such danger. We have risked the lives of too many people by allowing me to even be near a school full of children.

"I want you to know that there is no need for you to modify Severus' memory. I do not intend to stay in the school. As soon as I can move around, I am leaving. I won't, I can't risk this ever happening again," he said shakily. Then, he looked at Severus again,

"If you would like to press charges with the Ministry, I will be happy to accept the consequences of my actions," he said. "I don't care who you tell, or what you tell them. It is no more than an, animal, like me deserves."

Severus looked at Remus, then Dumbledore, then back to Remus again. "I see no reason to charge you with something your idiotic friends do, Lupin. You have my word to keep my mouth shut, whether you stay here, or not." Snape looked at him, then nodded to Dumbledore and left the hospital wing. Remus was more than a little startled by the reaction from the Slytherin. Snape had a right to be angry.

Albus sat down next to his young student, "Remus, you do not have to leave the school. I would very much like you to finish your education. You've worked so hard and you are nealry finished."

"Thank you, Professor, but I broke your trust. I risked other people's lives, with no thoughts for the consequences. I was so excited to have real friends, I just… I don't know. I don't have an excuse. Please just let me go, sir. I will study on my own and then take the N.E.W.T.S. at the end of the year. I can't stay here."

"Where will you go, Remus? I know that your mother died at the end of last summer. It will be very difficult for you on your own, especially without being a fully qualified wizard," Albus said in concern. Remus gave him a tiny smile,

"I know, Professor. Nevertheless, I will make my way, as I always have. Maybe when if I pass my N.E.W.T.S. I will be able to get a job tutoring kids with similar, difficulties, as myself. I always wanted to be a teacher," he said wistfully.

"Remus, can I ask you something?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Sure, Professor."

"If you weren't a werewolf, what would you have wanted to do with your life?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"When I was little, I wanted to change the world, Professor. I wanted to do what I could to make it a better place, and a safer place for my kind. But, it doesn't matter anymore. This time the world changed me instead. Thank you for giving me the chance to live normally for a while, Professor."

"Everyone deserves a chance, Remus," Dumbledore said softly, watching as the injured werewolf drifted to sleep. The old man let out a sigh, "Often the deserve so much more."

Chapter One: Time to Go

The next day, Remus trudged up to the boys' dormitory in Gryffindor tower, still hurting quite a bit. At least he could move though. Everyone was still in their last class of the day, so the halls were quiet. When he finally reached their dormitory, Remus looked around and with a sigh, began packing his things in his trunk. He was grateful that he had already turned seventeen, and thus would be allowed to use magic when he left.

As he packed his meager items, he paused, pulling out the Marauder's Map. It had been his turn to keep a hold of it. With a sigh, he set it on James' bed. Finally, he put the last book in his trunk. Kneeling on the floor, he closed the battered lid. He leaned up against the trunk, folding his arms, and then resting his head on them, ignoring the pain stabbing his side. He let himself cry quietly for what he was leaving behind. Hogwarts meant so much to him, and it was all over.

Sirius, his friend, had always been at his side when he woke after the moon. He had been the one to first confront him about being a werewolf then reassure him that they weren't planning to abandon him, or lead a mob to chase him off the school grounds, as he'd half feared.

James had been the one who always reassured him that he wasn't a monster. That he could make it in the world, despite everything that it threw his way. He had been the one to get his parents to focus their charitable donations on finding a cure for Lycanthropy and work for werewolf rights.

Peter was the one that laughed at James and Sirius with Remus whenever the two got up to serious mischief or into yet another detention. The quiet boy who was often overlooked, but always friendly and good-natured. Remus knew there was more to him than what others saw.

Remus would miss them, even if he was furious and hurt at the betrayal of Padfoot. They had completely ignored the fact that he turned into a bloodthirsty monster once a month, and had even devoted a lot of time to help him be in less pain during the transformations. Remus knew that he couldn't stay though. This had only showed him how much danger he was putting the other students in. Especially when they were not aware of what he was.

It took him several minutes, but he finally got a hold of himself. He slowly climbed to his feet, and then shrunk his school trunk, putting it in his pocket. He wiped the tears off his face, and took a breath. With one last glance around the room, he turned and left the dormitory.

ooOoo

Severus looked at the remaining three Marauders, in their last class of the day. Potion's was finally almost over.

"Did you all say good bye to your friend? I know you must be simply heartbroken," he said with a sneer. James glanced up at him looking annoyed,

"What are you going on about Snape?" he asked, revealing no hint of the malice that had been in his voice for so long.

"He didn't tell you? Well I guess I can't blame him for not trusting you. Your werewolf is leaving, Potter, today if he can manage to get out of bed. He told Dumbledore that he won't put anyone else at risk," Severus told them, slightly smug that he knew something that the Marauders did not.

Sirius exchanged a horrified expression with James and Peter. All three students ignored the protests of Professor Slughorn as they jumped up and ran out the door. They got to their dormitory and saw that all of Remus' things were gone already. James swore, and then saw the Marauder's Map sitting on his bed. He picked it up and they looked frantically for the dot that would point out Remus.

They found him at the exit to the castle, standing with Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Poppy Pomfrey. The boys ran down, taking all the shortcuts that they could find.

They skidded to a halt silently. No one at first seemed to realize they were there, but Dumbledore looked at them, the twinkle gone from his eyes. He finished talking to Remus,

"Remus, as I said before, you are welcome to stay here. However, since you are so insistent on leaving, I want to wish you the best of luck, and if there is anything at all I can do, feel free to let me know," Albus said.

"Mr. Lupin, when you are ready to take that N.E.W.T.S. you let me know. I will be your sponsor for the Ministry." McGonagall said, gently laying a hand on the shoulder of one of her brightest and most gentle students.

"Remus, I will miss seeing you every month. Please take care of yourself, and try to get medical attention when you can. I don't want to see you hurt. You can call me anytime you need to, and I will come," Poppy said, giving the young werewolf a gentle hug.

Remus gave the three professors a very small smile. "Thank you for that and thank you for letting me be a part of this school for so long. I appreciate it, and I will send you an owl letting you know how I am doing."

"I know your mother would have been proud of you, Remus, as would your father. I know their loss was hard on you, but they would be proud of the way that you are working past the prejudice of the wizarding world," Albus said, looking very upset that the best student in the school and the kindest man he'd ever met was leaving. Remus gave him a small smile,

"Thank you, Professor," Remus said, wrapping his tattered cloak tighter around him.

James, Sirius, and Peter were all horribly shocked by the conversation. They'd had no idea that he was leaving by his own choice, nor that both of his parents had died. They looked at their friend, and could see how battered he was and how much he was hurting.

Each adult gave the young man a hug, and then left him with his friends. Remus had closed his eyes. They watched him take a breath, then turn amber eyes to his friends. He had known they were there. He heard them, and smelled them as well. James, Peter, and Sirius walked towards him slowly.

"Rem-" James started in distress. Remus shook his head,

"It's okay guys. It is time for me to leave; I've pushed this long enough. I probably should have left when the three of you figured it out," Remus said quietly. He gave James a weak hug,

"Thank you for stopping me," he said quietly. Then he gave Peter a hug,

"Thank you for getting him out, Peter," he said to the smaller boy. Last, Remus turned to Sirius, who didn't know what to expect. Startling them all, Remus also gave him a hug.

"Siri, I know you didn't mean for that to happen. I was angry for a while, but I forgive you for it. Thank you for stopping me," he said. The dog animagus looked completely astounded that he'd been forgive, though perhaps he shouldn't have been so surprised. Remus would forgive anyone for offenses against himself. He just didn't have it in him to hold a grudge.

Remus looked at the three of them, who were for once shocked into silence. Remus pulled something out of his pocket, and then closed it in James' hand. Remus backed away and gave them a small, tired smile. "Mischief managed for this Marauder," he said very quietly, then turned and left the castle.

James numbly opened his hand and saw the pin they had made years ago when they became friends, and had modified to include a wolf, stag, rat, and dog. Each pin had their nickname on it. James looked up at the other three, tears in his eyes. The three of them ran out the door, just as Remus made it past Hogwarts' wards. He turned towards them, gave a little wave, then Apparated away.

"He's gone," Sirius murmured in horror. Peter frowned, looking at James,

"Will we ever see him again?" he asked quietly. James shrugged, looking upset.

"I don't know, Peter. I don't know."

ooOoo

Remus Apparated away from the only place he had ever been happy, his heart heavy. When he landed outside the tiny run down house he had grown up in, he sighed. In the span of a few hours, his entire life was destroyed. He had known that it could happen. It had happened to him before. It would happen again, he was sure.

Such was the fate of being a monster.


	2. Chapter 2: Graduation

**So here is the next chapter. I hope you all like! Thank to the following reviewers:**

**Teacher123 and Werewolf93.**

**Your thoughts are appreciated!**

Chapter Two: Graduation

The remainder of the school year went by relatively slowly for the three Marauders that were left behind. The school was slightly nervous when pranks practically stopped all together; apparently suspicious something big was planned for the future. In truth, the Marauders found that it wasn't fun without their fourth member.

Instead, they seemed to throw themselves into their studies. All three admitted, if only to themselves, that they wanted to make Remus proud of them. Lily and James seemed to grow closer, and even Sirius and Peter found girlfriends.

The first full moon without Remus being there was hard on all three of them. The headed to the Shrieking Shack anyways, and stayed up all night.

"I wonder what he's doing now," Sirius said quietly. They all knew that Sirius blamed himself for Remus choosing to leave as he did.

"I hope he is okay, and that he healed from what happened during that last moon. We were pretty rough on him," James replied.

"I hate thinking about him being out there by himself! He didn't even tell us his mum died," Peter said in distress.

"I hope he'll let us back in one day. Remember how hard it was for him to open up to us the first time?" Sirius said. The three Marauders stared up at the full moon, thoughts on their quiet, studious friend.

ooOoo

Remus Lupin woke up in the basement of the run down little house he had grown up in. His father had built the room to keep him in when he transformed. Remus groaned as he tried to sit up. Once again, he couldn't remember anything that happened in the night, but his aching, bleeding body told him that Moony had been furious at being locked up.

Shaking, Remus crawled to the trunk that was in the corner, and thanks to his father, werewolf-proof. He opened the lid and pulled out a potion, drinking it quickly. It was a pain reliever, which he followed with a blood-replenishing potion and one to help the gashes heal. Then he pulled out a rough blanket, covering his naked body, and curled up on the floor to get a few hours of sleep while his body tried to heal. His last thought before losing consciousness, _having the Marauders with me sure makes this more bearable._

ooOoo

N.E.W.T.S were finally over, much to the relief of the seventh year students a Hogwarts. They could finally relax. In one week, they would get the results, and then they would graduate. The emotions of the final year students were mixed. They were thrilled to be going out into the world to become self-

sufficient adults, but terrified of the thought of supporting themselves. They were also sad that they would be leaving the place that had become a home to so many of them.

James and Sirius had already been accepted to the Auror training program, provided they did decently on their tests. Lily was taking an apprenticeship to become a Healer at St. Mungo's. Peter had surprised them all when he decided to accept a job working for Gringotts. He would be spending a lot of time travelling the world once he completed his training.

The group, along with most of the other seventh years from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, were sitting down by the lake enjoying the freedom of classes and homework. As the reminisced about their years, Professor McGonagall approached James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily. She sat in the grass beside them.

"I just thought the four of you would like to know that I saw Remus yesterday. I took him to the Ministry to take his tests. He passed them all with high scores," she said. They all leaned forward eagerly.

"He did? That is great! How is he doing, Professor?" James asked. Minerva sighed,

"Honestly, he looks sick. He mentioned that he is having a bit of trouble adjusting to being alone on the moons again, but assured me that each time it is getting better. He muttered something about Moony not appreciating being locked up in a room.

"I asked him if he managed to get a job, and he was a bit vague about it, but insisted that he was okay. I think he has trouble keeping a job for very long. No matter how much trouble he is having, he was smiling, and acting like his usual self," she told them. They all seemed slightly downcast at the news.

"I just wish he would answer our letters, or agree to meet up this summer, or something!" Sirius exclaimed. "We don't want him to hurt so much."

"Well I think you all will have the perfect opportunity," Dumbledore said quietly, having decided to join them.

"What do you mean, sir?" Lily asked, startled when the Headmaster sat down on the ground beside them. Dumbledore briefly cast a silencing charm, and then looked at them all.

"You all have heard the rumors of Voldemort gaining strength, correct?" he asked. The students nodded in some confusion.

"Yeah, my mother goes on and on about him all the time," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, the rumors are true, and he has begun attacking Muggles and Muggleborns. It is quickly becoming a concern as he gains more followers. Several Light wizards and witches, along with myself have started a group to counter his attacks. He will need to be taken down and I fear he may be even worse than Grindewald. I wanted to ask each of you to join the group, called the Order of the Phoenix. You would join planning sessions, but would continue your training and normal lives as well.

"It is a lot of responsibility and risk, but we are going to need all the powerful, good people we can get. I have spoken to Remus already, and he has agreed to join, in order to help us keep the werewolves from joining the Dark Lord."

"Professor, I would be honored to help with this Order. I have already heard a lot of bad things about this Voldemort jerk, and I agree that he must be stopped," Sirius said, solemnly. They others in the group nodded in agreement.

"I am glad to hear that. I will inform you all when we have our first formal meeting, as soon as I can find somewhere to hold it at," Albus said.

"Sir, I have a suggestion," Sirius said, a smile on his face. Dumbledore looked at him in curiosity.

"Really?"

"Yes, every member of the Black family, whether disowned or not, receives one of the properties of the family. The wards and such on each property are set to the new owner when they are born, so the magic grows and develops along with the child. No one can get into the building without permission from the individual, even other members of the family.

"My place would work out very good, though it probably needs some cleaning. I've never actually stepped foot in the place. My family is known for their, Dark inclinations. God knows what sort of traps there are for the unwary. I am sure if you worked with me and set up your own protections, like the Fidelius Charm, then the place would be as safe, if not safer, than Hogwarts."

"That is an excellent suggestion Mr. Black. Perhaps when school is out, you will show it to me?" Dumbledore said, looking very happy.

"I would love to," Sirius said with a smirk, "I can't think of a better use for a Black house, than to help the Light. My mother would have fits!" he said. James laughed at that, knowing it was true. He had once met Mrs. Black. Not an experience he wanted to try again.

"Excellent, well I will let you all get back to your day. Minerva, join me for a cup of tea?" Dumbledore asked, offering a hand to help her up off the ground. She smiled and agreed, following him back up to the castle.

"Wow, this war is getting serious," Lily said in concern. James nodded in agreement, holding her hand.

"I have a feeling that we are going to be in need for Healer's, Lily," he said softly. Lily sighed leaning up against him, her thoughts, and those of her friends, on what the future might hold.

ooOoo

Remus sat outside his home, underneath a tree, contemplating the results of his exams. He had done very well, earning top scores in all his subjects, despite being absent from school for most of the last year. He had to admit that he was proud of himself.

When he had first been bitten, his family had lost hope of ever gaining a fully trained wizard. His father had been taught basic magic by his parents, as had happened in his family for a long time. His mother had gone to school, but had very limited magical abilities, leaving her able to do only basic magic as well.

He hoped that they would have been proud of him, and he had proved to himself that despite the Lycanthropy, he was capable of mastering magic, and perhaps one day making a living in the wizarding world. He wasn't holding out for a cure, but perhaps his time at school would go far in getting humans to understand that not all werewolves were monsters.

Not all werewolves are monsters. That is a sentence it took Remus a long time to be able to say. In the last months, he had done a great deal of research about his kind, talking to werewolves all over the country, and some all over the world.

He had enough research to write several books. He had learned that those werewolves that accepted what they were, and focused on living their lives, were indeed relatively normal. The packs he'd spent time with had come up with many ingenious ways to be sure that they didn't harm anyone during the full moon.

Though they were exiled from the human world, they seemed content with their lot. Remus learned that for that reason, their transformations weren't nearly the battle his were. Remus knew that he had a long way to go before he could accept the wolf, but he was well on his way to learning and he fully intended on exploring it.

With a sigh, he stood up. It was about time to go to Hogwarts. He had asked Professor Dumbledore to explain to his classmates why he went missing during the year. He was interested in their reactions, and he wanted to be there for his friends.

He honestly missed them, and there was much he wanted to say. Closing his eyes, he Apparated to Hogsmede and began the walk up to the castle. The graduation ceremony was taking place outside by the lake, and Remus could see quite the crowd gathered around.

Remus smiled as he walked up and saw all his classmates, and their friends and family. He couldn't help laugh quietly, as he knew that the teachers had something up their sleeves. In fact, they had gotten Remus in on it, in an effort to shock the students.

Albus stood on a raised stage in front of everyone, and began speaking. "Welcome friends and family, to Hogwarts graduation ceremony. This is a day that I am sure you have anxiously waited for the last seven years. There are many speeches planned, but first I would like to talk with you all.

"In dark and troubled times, something we all must remember is that we still must lead our lives. A big part of doing this is to remember to laugh at the little things. I would like to introduce you all formally to a group of students that has made this their goal in school,"

Remus pulled out his wand, making sure he was still hidden in the back of the crowd. Albus continued, "Please welcome James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, more commonly known as the Marauders!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands, his eyes twinkling brightly. If one looked at the teachers, it would be noticeable that there were many barely concealed smirks as the three Marauders walked up onto the stage.

When they were standing there, Remus gave a little wave of his wand. Behind the Marauders, several rather large balloons began to float, hovering just over their heads, causing the crowd to laugh loudly.

Immediately suspicious, the Marauders began to look around, but could see nothing alarming. Besides, they were relatively confident that they had put enough anti-jinxing spells on themselves, prepared for any thoughts of revenge. However, they did not realize that the member who had designed the series of spells was softly removing them.

"As you all know, we Marauders have made a great deal of mischief over the years. When we first got together, we came up with several goals for our time in school. First, we wanted to see which of us could get the most detentions," Sirius started.

"James won by two!" Peter announced. There was a great deal of laughter at the scowl Sirius gave his best friend. Suddenly there was a roar of laughter, as the background of the stage was suddenly lit up with photographs of the Marauders doing various tasks during detention, including James scrubbing dungeon floors, Sirius gagging as he cleaned hospital bedpans, and Peter being forced to alphabetize a massive quantity of books for Professor Flitwick.

The three young men whirled behind them, and gaped at the pictures. The only people who had been in the room at the time for those moments were the teachers themselves. All three men exchanged suspicious looks, not even noticing the ever-expanding balloons above their heads. They struggled to ignore the photographs flashing behind them.

"Our second goal was to pull off as many pranks as we could, without getting caught. I say we did fairly well at that. We were only caught in the act about a quarter of the time," James said. With those words, the pictures changed from detentions, to the boys being chased, shouted at, and hexed by the victims of various pranks. The laughter of the crowd roared, and the balloons got bigger, and suddenly had animated faces on them, mimicking the person talking.

Peter was starting to look a bit nervous, wondering were exactly this was going. However, he raised his voice to speak as well. "Our last major goal was to make friendships that would last far beyond our days at school. We wanted to find a way to bring together people from many different walks of life, and to have fun with it. I believe we succeeded," he said.

Remus smiled, and made the pictures suddenly disappear. A loud noise behind them made the guys quickly turn around. A message began to write on the screen.

_Messrs. Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs:_

_Congratulations on a job well done. You have succeeded in all of your tasks. Your careers have been illustrious and your pranks well known. You have likely inspired future troublemakers for many generations to come. It has come to my attention that while you have pranked many times, you have yet to have anyone return the favor. Well, unless you count that time Lily glued you all to your beds, or the time Severus managed to convinced you that Professor McGonagall had a secret life as a biker, causing you to pester her enough for a month's worth of detentions, or the time that the house elves refused to feed you anything besides vegetables and followed you around with them for weeks. Not that I am planning on Mapping them all out for the entire school. The staff (and some of your other classmates) feel that it is the last chance for a bit of revenge._

_Ah, I can see that you are all looking a bit nervous. You should be! After all, how does anyone possibly know this much about you three? You'll note that everyone here is finding this vastly entertaining, judging by the giggles. Now on to the main show. If you gentlemen would look behind you, you will see three of your most common prank victims. On the left, would be the lovely girls from the Gryffindor Seventh years. In the middle, you will find the astronomy club. And way, way on your right would be practically all of the Slytherins._

_Nervous yet? I would be too. Don't worry; they aren't going to hurt you. They just want front row seats. Now if you'll notice that directly above you are three rather large balloons. It is filled with a substance that you have been working on for a while, but have yet to test on anyone. Now, now Padfoot, swearing at it won't help! I am proud to show you all what said mysterious potion does. Everyone, on the count of three… one, two, THREE! Mischief Managed._

With those final words, it suddenly dawned on the boys who exactly was responsible for the prank. They exchanged resigned looks, and waved to the crowd, as the balloons finally burst, showering them in a silvery looking liquid.

When the liquid touched them, all three boys began to sing the school song at the top of their lungs, while mysterious sparkles began shooting off them. The crowd laughed loudly, and the Marauders began to get not it, and started dancing to their own music. Finally when they finished the song, there was a loud bang, and the three boys were turned to their normal state, earning a round of applause from everyone. All three boys bowed, waved to the crowed and returned to their seats.

Laughing, Remus cancelled all of his charms, and watched the Headmaster walk back up to the front.

"Excellent, job well done. Now many of you are wondering, I am sure, about the fourth member of the Marauders. I specifically asked these young men not to mention him, as I wished to do it myself.

"Nearly each and every one of you knew Remus Lupin, the final member of the Marauders. You have plagued James, Sirius, Peter, and all of the teachers with questions to his whereabouts. Early this year an incident prompted him to leave the school, feeling that he was putting everyone here in danger."

A roar of shock was the response to the Headmaster at these words. Albus held up his hands for quiet.

"You are surprised I see. Remus was a very studious young man, who was always willing to help a fellow student, regardless of their House, or friends. He had a penchant for mischief as is obvious by his association with the other Marauders, and I have heard from nearly everyone he was the brains of the operation. However, none of you realize that he had quite a bit stacked against him. It is with his permission, and at his request that I reveal this information to his old friends.

"When I first met Remus, he didn't think there was any chance that he would be able to attend this school. By working with the faculty, I came up with a way that would be safe for him to be here. Remus was always very careful, and never wanted to put any student or teacher in danger. An incident that was much too close for comfort is what caused him to leave the school, refusing to risk putting anyone else in danger.

"Students, your class mate was bitten, and infected, with Lycanthropy when he was four years old. In other words, he was in fact a werewolf." Total shocked silence met this statement. Albus continued, hoping that this would affect each of their outlooks on werewolves in general. "Yes, I allowed a werewolf into the school, however, I also allowed Remus Lupin into the school. A child, a student, and a friend. Magical folk are brought up to fear and hate what they don't understand. Many of you hear the word werewolf and automatically associate it with the word, monster. However, when you think of the words Remus Lupin, do you also associate that with the word monster?

"Many of you will find that you do not. Werewolves are in fact still human, but for one single night of the month. It is a traumatic and rather horrific experience that happened to a person, a human being, which they had absolutely no control over. Prejudice in the wizarding world will not allow anyone to see past the speculation and rumors about so-called 'bloodthirsty' beast.

"But each of you knew Remus, by association at least. Did he seem at all bloodthirsty, or violent? Did he behave like an animal or a monster? The answer is no, he did not. In fact, when he realized you could all be in danger once a month, he insisted on giving up his schooling, so his friends could be safe.

"I want you all to know that Remus completed his schooling on his own and did very well, scoring higher on his exams than any student here. Despite that fact, he will find that his status in the wizarding world will not rise much above 'animal'. His skills, personality, and magical ability will mean very little to anyone he would apply to for a job. They will see one thing only, and that is 'werewolf'. I want each of you to think very hard about how magical creatures, sentient magical creatures are treated in this world. Even ones who are only technically a creature one night a month, are treated a subhuman.

"Such a thing could happen to any of you at any time, and I wonder how it will feel to you then to be refused a job, a home, and even a family because of something you had no control over. I hope you join me in wishing Remus the best of luck in proving to wizards that all werewolves are not bad, much like all people are not bad."

Albus looked around at the thoughtful students, his gaze stopping on Remus. The young werewolf gave him a small smile, and a nod. Albus introduced the Head Boy and Girl to come make their speeches.

Finally, everyone received their certificates, and scattered to speak with their friends and family. James, Sirius, and Peter gathered a short distance away.

"He's here," James announced, and the others nodded in agreement. "That blasted note made to references to our map, and several things no one but us knew about."

All three men seemed to think about this, when a voice from behind them caused them to jump and spin around.

"Of course I am here. I had to see the miracle that is the Marauders graduating from school," Remus said. When the guys turned toward him, they found their old friend leaning up against a tree, a decidedly wolfish grin on his face.


	3. Chapter 3: Marked

**So, here is the next chapter. I hope everyone enjoys. I encourage reviews as always (even short ones), so I know if I should continue. If you have questions, I will try to respond to them, so feel free! I have the plot planned out, but feel free to make suggestions!**

**Thank you again for the reviews!**

**To be a Monster**

Chapter Three: Marked

James, Sirius, and Peter could only stare in astonishment at their friend. None of them moved, or seemed capable of uttering a sound. Remus raised an eyebrow at this,

"I have managed to strike the Marauders silent! Someone alert the press," Remus announced, breaking the tension. James let out a roar of laughter, and rushed over to give their friend a hug. Peter and Sirius followed quickly.

"Moony, did you work with the _teachers_ on that prank?" Peter demanded. Remus chuckled, nodding his head,

"Yeah, when I told them I would be here today, they told me they wanted a bit of revenge. I agreed to help out,"

"Well, that was well executed," Sirius said with a smile. "We are glad you came, Remus."

"Yeah, it wouldn't have been the same without you here," James added.

"Well, I really couldn't wait to see the expressions on your faces. I just thought I would say hello to you guys, before you all went to do your training and whatnot this summer. I will be out of contact for a couple of months, doing something for Albus.

"I also wanted to congratulate you on all on passing your N.E.W.T.S. I told you that you could do it if you applied yourselves. I must be going now, as I have an appointment that I most likely should not miss," Remus told them, looking a touch nervous.

"You don't want to walk around and see how everyone is reacting to you 'furry little problem'?" Peter asked him. Remus shook his head,

"Not particularly. I don't really care how they react. I just thought if fair that they should know. Anyways, I really should be going. The person I am meeting is not at all patient, and I would rather not start this out with him angry at me. I will try to owl each of you when I can. I will see you at the first Order meeting," he said. His friends each gave him a hug, worried for his safety, then once again watched him walk past the wards and Apparate away.

Sirius looked at James, a small frown on his face, "He is really different. More confident in himself, but less trusting of us I think."

"I think you are right, Siri," James said shaking his head. "I hope that Albus will assign us to work together at some point. I think we have a lot to make up to him,"

"Uh, guys? Here comes Lily, Frank, and Alice. They look…annoyed," Peter said a bit nervously. James turned and sure enough, three of their friends stalked towards them, looking very annoyed.

"Uh oh," Sirius muttered. Lily stopped a few feet away putting her hands on her hips.

"Did you know?" she demanded. Startled, the three boys exchanged looks,

"Know what Lily?" James asked in confusion. Lily snorted,

"Did you know about Remus!" she exclaimed.

The boys fidgeted, but finally James nodded reluctantly, "Yeah, we knew. How could we not? By our second year, it was getting very hard for him to explain regular once a month absence. We had been suspicious for a while, but finally something happened that made it dawn on us. Peter tossed him a gift he'd gotten from his mother, but it was made out of silver. Remus did not react well at all, and it told us all we needed to know."

Lily, Alice and Frank stared at them in astonishment, clearly surprised that these three had managed to keep it a secret.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Frank demanded, Alice nodding in agreement, "We were his friends too! I think we deserved to know." Sirius gave him an angry look,

"First of all, Frank, it was not our secret to tell. You know, when we figured it out, Remus was going to go to the Headmaster and leave the school. He thought is best friends would turn on him, and cast him out. Can you even imagine how he thought anyone else would react? His greatest fear is probably having people think of him as a monster. He asked us to keep it to ourselves, so we did. He has enough trouble with that blasted infection. He definitely did not need the hatred of our classmates."

The entire group stared at Sirius in astonishment. Lily suddenly looked ashamed of herself. "Sirius, we would _never _think of him as a monster. We know him too well for that. We are just upset that he didn't feel he could trust us."

"Remus trusts very few Lily. Living in a world that hates and fears everything that you are will do that to a person. It is because I broke his trust that he left Hogwarts. He is a greater person than I ever will be, because he forgave me. He was here tonight, you know? How else would the teachers pull of such a great prank on _us_?" Sirius said with a smile.

"He was here? Why didn't he stick around?" Frank asked, clearly surprised.

"He didn't particularly want to see how everyone reacted, and he is doing something for the Headmaster. He said he will see us all at the first meeting," James said, nodding his head to confirm which meeting he referred to.

Lily looked at James for a long moment and gripped his hand tightly. "This is going to get bad before it is over, isn't it?" she asked, thoughts of war looming over her head.

"I think it is, and we are going to have to fight hard to keep Voldemort from taking over the world." James gently hugged Lily close, brushing her hair out of her face. The six friends looked at each other and couldn't help but wonder who wouldn't survive the fight.

ooOoo

Albus Dumbledore walked into the first Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix; belonging to one Sirius Black, a foul expression on his face. A small sound at his side caught his attention. Concerned, he looked at the man next to him.

"Remus, are you okay? I really think you should be resting," he said gently. "The Ministry was— harsh."

Remus gave him a tight smile. His eyes looked as if they could barely focus on what was in front of him. He was holding his arm close to his chest and moving slowly.

"I do not wish to miss the first meeting, Albus. I will pass out when I get home," Remus replied quietly. Albus nodded and helped the young werewolf into the large parlor, where everyone was waiting. It had been magically expanded to fit everyone that needed to be there. As they walked in behind the crowd, Lily Evans; soon to be Potter, gasped.

"Remus," she whispered softly. He gave her a small smile, but did not speak.

"Ms. Evans, would you please help Mr. Lupin to where you are seated. He has a report to make tonight. See if you can keep him conscious until then. He is too stubborn to wait until later," Albus said. Remus rolled his eyes, but allowed Lily to gently grip his arm.

As Dumbledore headed off to the front of the room, Lily led Remus to the other side, where their friends were. "Are you okay, Remus? Is there anything I can get you?" she asked in concern.

"I am okay for now, Lily. I will explain what happened when I give my report. I don't wish to repeat it more than once."

"Okay, I can understand that," Lily said, though she looked as if she badly wanted to protest. When they approached Sirius and James, the two young men stood up in surprise.

"Remus," James said, motioning for him to sit. Lily found that she was rather surprised when neither James, nor Sirius asked about his condition. Perhaps they didn't care as much as she thought, or perhaps they just knew him too well.

They all took their seats as Albus started the meeting,

"I want to welcome each of you to the first formal meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort is gaining power and allies rapidly and it is our job to counter that as much as possible. I will be working with each of you to assign tasks that are best suited for you qualifications and personalities. I have assigned a few tasks already, and we will hear reports from them tonight, and then you will receive your assignments.

"I want you all to remember that this group is here to fight Voldemort. If you spread information to anyone, even someone you are sure is on the side of the Light, it could get back to Voldemort. If possible, we don't even want you discussing anything with your peers, unless I ask you to tell us what you know.

"The temptation to join the Dark will be great. I hope each of you is strong enough to resist. That type of power and control will only lead to death and destruction, and cannot be allowed to win. Tonight we will hear from Alastor Moody about the position of the Aurors in the Ministry. We will also hear from Remus Lupin to learn were the werewolves stand. Finally, Sirius Black and Nikolas Parkinson will inform us what they have been able to learn from the Dark pureblood families."

With that, Alastor Moody stumped to the front, looking at each person as if they were about to jump up and stab him to death.

"So far, I does not look as though the Aurors or the Ministry is going to be much help. The Minister seems adamant that we should wait and hope that Voldemort just goes away. I will keep watch for Aurors that I think will be good to join the Order, and with luck manage to recruit a few. Black and Potter will be watching the new recruits, as I don't have much contact with the ones that just got out of training. Other than that, I don't have much to work with."

Moody did not stay for questions, but immediately left the building, still looking suspiciously at the Order members. Albus looked at Remus and nodded. The werewolf got tiredly to his feet and walked up to the front.

"I have emerged myself with various werewolf packs in the last few months. At first things seemed to go well. I learned a lot about werewolf culture that I didn't know. Because the wizarding world fears and hates werewolves, they often move away from cities and live their own lives. They have done so for centuries. They have wonderful lives, and were willing to just ignore the rest of the world, so long as they were left alone.

"The alphas I spoke to were willing to assist the Light simply because they object to Dark magic, despite the fact that we are classified as Dark creatures. The Ministry ruined that all three weeks ago, with their new Werewolf Acts."

At this point, fury flashed in the amber eyes of Remus Lupin. A frown tugging at his mouth, he spoke again. "The Ministry decided that all werewolves must be 'registered, vaccinated, questioned, and then monitored to deduce which werewolves have appropriate temperaments to be released'," Remus told them. James and Sirius could hear the snarl in his voice.

"I was with the Corrrin Pack, when a group of wizards the Ministry calls Hunters captured us with silver nets on the last full moon. Despite the fact that we were nearly a hundred miles away from any humans, we were captured, and brought to the Ministry. By the time we got there, the sun had come up, and we were all rather damaged from both the moon, and the silver nets.

"We were locked into a small room, nearly a hundred and fifty of us, for over two weeks. One by one, we were taken to be 'registered'. The first thing they did was dose us with so many potions it was hard to see straight, let alone walk or stand. The registration itself consisted of marking us," Remus pulled down his shirt, revealing a rather angry patch of skin with black numbers cruelly tattooed into the skin.

"I am now officially known as R6842," he said, releasing his shirt. "Their questions were ridiculous and for the most part, I can't even remember what they were about. They seemed to want me to admit to killing scores of people, or turning them. When said I had not, even under verituserum, I was beaten and drugged further, with the promise that it would get worse until I revealed the truth. For the next week I was questioned in that manner until they gave up.

"For the last week we were all observed in that wretched little room. It was not sanitary, we were not fed, and they wanted perfect behavior from us. Nearly ten werewolves died of silver poisoning, three more from the 'questioning' and another killed herself. Finally we were released with a book of rules,"

Remus waved his wand and a large manual about six inches thick flopped down on the floor. "Apparently, I am supposed to memorize that thing. The werewolves are going into hiding. They have all 

heard what happened with Corrin's Pack, and they will use pack magic to hide. For now, they will remain neutral and hide from the Ministry and everyone else. I don't think it will take much for Voldemort to convince them to join his side. All he will have to do is offer to repeal the Ministry's new laws."

Remus seemed finished with his speech. Though his expressions had flashed in anger, his voice remained calm the entire time.

"Remus, what do you mean when you say 'pack magic'?" asked one of the members. Remus was somewhat pleased to see that most of the Order seemed interested in learning about werewolves, rather than condemning them as animals. Not everyone, but enough to make a good start.

"Each pack has unique magical abilities tied to the each member's wolf. It allows them to hide if they feel endangered. It also provides a way to communicate with each other silently. The strongest bond is with the alpha, allowing him to protect members of the pack should they get into trouble."

For several more minutes, various members asked questions about werewolves. Then Remus wavered where he stood. He gripped a table tightly to keep his balance. Immediately James and Sirius were at his side. Dumbledore stood,

"We can question Remus further when we get him all healed up. He only just got away from the Ministry and hasn't had a chance to heal and rest yet. Remus, I trust your friends will take care of you. Thank you for sharing what you've learned."

Remus nodded, and allowed Sirius and James to lead him from the room, Lily following close behind them. They paused in the hallway leading to a set of rather creepy looking stairs. Sirius looked at James,

"Why don't you guys take him to my room? I will be up as soon as I report," he said. James nodded, and Lily took Sirius's place, helping Remus walk.

The three of them concentrated on walking up the stairs. James led them into a room, which as far as Lily knew, was the only normal looking room in the entire house. They carefully helped lay Remus on the bed.

"How are you doing, Moony?" James asked in concern. Lily's eyes widened slightly,

"That nickname makes sense now!" she exclaimed, looking startled. "The girls and I always figured it was because you had mooned someone as a prank or something!"

James and Remus exchanged a look then burst out laughing. Remus winced, gripping his side. "No, I don't believe I have ever mooned anyone. Sirius on the other hand…"

James let out a snort, "I always wondered why you girls giggled so much when we called him that."

Lily smiled, looking at Remus, "Well let's see about getting you patched up Remy. You look like shit!"

"Gee, thanks," Remus said, raising an eyebrow. James chuckled,

"She figures it is part of her job, Moony. She is brutally honest with all of her patients. She tells them they are idiots, or they look like shit. It's amazing that they all seem to love her!"

Lily smacked the back of his head, "Do something useful and help Remus get his shirt off while I get some potions and bandages."

Rolling his eyes, James gently helped his friend remove the dirty shirt. He hissed when he saw the tattoo up close, and all the damage done to his body. He began swearing under his breath when he felt that Remus was burning up with a fever.

When Lily returned, she took one look and looked utterly furious. Remus gave her a small smile, "Lily, I hope you know what's in those potions. I can't have anything that has any magical plants that need to be collected under the full moon. You won't at all like what happens if you give it to me."

"Oh, well that is good to know," Lily told him, sitting on the edge of the bed to look over his body. Finally she looked into his eyes,

"Remus, there are a lot of old scars here. What are they from?" she asked.

"Well, according to Sirius, they are from being beaten up by the Whomping Willow one too many times," Remus said with a small smile, looking uncomfortable.

"Not my fault. We saw you walking back from there with Madam Pomfrey, all beat up. What else was I supposed to think?" Sirius asked, walking into the room. Remus rolled his eyes, took a slight breath, and looked back at Lily.

"Those I did to myself, Lily." He voice was quiet and slightly ashamed. He lowered his eyes, studying his hands intently. "Moony, my wolf half, does not appreciate being locked up during the full moon. Basically, I take my anger out on myself. I was bitten when I was five years old, so that is a lot of years of being locked up."

Lily glanced at James and Sirius, and then turned back to Remus. She gently turned his head up by his chin.

"Remus, there isn't anything you can do about that. You must be an incredibly strongly-willed person to willingly put himself in a position to be harmed, just so no one else will get hurt. I told the other guys this when we left school. I don't care _what _you are, but _who_ you are. Moony might be part of you, but he sure isn't all of you." Lily leaned over, gently kissing his cheek, then began to dig out the potion's she would need.

Remus glanced up at James and Sirius in surprise. Both Marauder's were smiling at his expression, and Sirius gave him a wink.

"So, where is Peter?" Remus asked after an awkward moment. James rolled his eyes,

"He won't tell us. He said Dumbledore has him doing something he isn't allowed to talk about."

"Oh, well at least he is keeping himself busy," Remus told them. He turned his attention back to Lily and allowed her to stuff him full of a large variety of vile tasting potions. As he finished the last one he noticed that everyone was becoming a bit blurry, and he promptly lost consciousness.

ooOoo

Remus woke slowly, his mind buzzing with what felt like fury. He wrinkled his brow in confusion. In the back of his mind, he could practically feel Moony growling. Usually he only did that when the moon was approaching. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around and saw he was in Sirius's bedroom. Judging by the light out the window, it was nearly dark. Groaning, Remus pulled himself upright, noticing that he felt 

quite a bit better. Those must have been some potions that Lily had given him. On the trail of those thoughts, Lily walked into the bedroom to check on him, before going to she went to bed.

"Remus?" she asked, looking delighted. "You're awake!"

"Yeah, what time is it? How long was I asleep?"

"You were out for over two weeks!" Lily exclaimed, a grin on her face. The smile slowly faded when she saw the expression on the face of her friend.

"What is the date?" he asked urgently.

"The twenty-third, why?" Lily asked in confusion. Remus swore, stumbling over to the window to look out. Sure enough, the sun was almost set. Moony growled even more in the back of his mind.

"Lily, get Sirius or James!" he gasped, backing towards the wall. He did not have long.

"What? Why?" she demanded, "Remus—"

"In a minute you are going to have a pissed off werewolf in a house full of people," Remus said anxiously, pointing out the window. Lily followed his finger, and gasped when she saw the moon. Suddenly the sun was gone, and the moonlight fell across the room.

Remus hunched over in pain, letting out an agonized cry. "Run!" he gasped. Lily backed towards the door, shaking in fright. She couldn't take her eyes off of her friend. His body was shifting right before her eyes. Skin became fur, and his head stretched out to a canine form. Remus let out an unearthly noise, somewhere between a scream and a howl of pain. Before Lily knew it she was face to face with a fully grown, and definitely angry, werewolf.

Moony's eyes seemed to glow as he shook himself out, gasping for air. Then, he spotted her and his pain was forgotten.

"Remus," Lily gasped in horror. The wolf turned and slowly began to walk towards her. There was definitely no sign of Remus in those eyes.

"Please," she murmured, shaking in fear. Moony crouched low, growling deeply at the unfamiliar person. Lily was paralyzed in fear. Before she could blink, Moony launched himself across the room, straight at her.

**AN: I had trouble with this chapter for some reason. Anyways I figured this would be a good place to end it. See you again for chapter four (which I hope will appear soon!)**


	4. Chapter 4: Questions

**Thank you all for the reviews. Here is the next chapter! Yay for me, I finally finished it! It is difficult to find time to write when you are moving halfway across the country, but I will try to get these out in a somewhat timely fashion!**

**Disclaimer: As always, it is not mine. I don't own the characters or the world. If I did, then things would have happened very differently in the books and I wouldn't be spending my time writing fanfics :)**

**Enjoy!**

**To Be a Monster**

Chapter Four: Questions

Lily Evans, soon to be Potter, saw her relatively short life flash before her eyes. She never believed that on the verge of death, a person saw their life in images, but she did now. Nor did she believe that time would slow down, but it did. She saw the enraged werewolf fly through the air at her at an incredibly slow speed, but still, she could do nothing but watch her cause of death in disbelief.

Abruptly the door crashed open behind her and a large black dog burst into the room snarling, and knocked the wolf across the room. He stood between the wolf and Lily, growling protectively. Someone behind Lily yanked her out of the room into the hall. She found herself looking at James. He bit his lip, looking at her.

"Lily, I know you are terrified, but you have to get everyone out of the house. I can't leave Sirius in there alone. Can you do that?"

She nodded, "James, be careful," she whispered, nearly in tears. He nodded, touching her cheek and then pushing her towards the stairs. She caught a brief glimpse of Prongs before he charged into the room.

ooOoo

Remus woke up he looked around in confusion. He had no idea where on earth he was. It was a strangely empty looking room. He turned his head slightly, wincing in pain. The first thing he saw was Padfoot and Prongs curled protectively around him, still in animal form. Remus looked at himself and let out a startled gasp. He was drenched in blood, and naked. Suddenly it hit him, what had happened. He sat up to quickly, looking around wildly. He let out a cry of pain, grasping his chest. Immediately Padfoot woke, took one look at him, and then changed back into Sirius. James followed a moment behind.

"Remy?" Sirius murmured quietly, looking distressed. Remus looked at him and focused,

"Lily?" he asked, looking anguished.

"We got her out Remus. She's okay. A little shook up, but not hurt," James told him quickly. Remus sighed in relief, lying back down. The room was spinning and he felt like he was going to vomit any moment.

"Remus?" Sirius asked uncertainly.

"Lost too much blood," Remus murmured, gasping for air.

"I'm going to go get Lily. I will be right back Remus," James said in alarm. Sirius gently pulled Remus into his lap, easing his breathing. He took off his cloak and covered his shaking friend with it. The sight of the tattoo gouged in his flesh sent a flash of fury through the dog Animagus. He wanted very badly to growl and snarl to demonstrate his anger.

"What, happened?" Remus whispered, returning Padfoot's attention to him.

"We forgot to watch for when the full moon was while you were healing. Lily thought it best to keep you asleep. I don't know what happened last night Remus. I've never seen Moony so angry. It was hard to 

keep you in the house. I would guess it might have something to do with the last time you changed being traumatic. Remus, we hurt you last night," Sirius said, looking ashamed.

"Did, did I b-bite anyone?" Remus stuttered anxiously.

"There were a few close calls, but Prongs sat on you and stopped it," Sirius said with a small smile. Remus gave him a slightly incredulous look.

"Sat on me?" he asked indignantly. Sirius nodded in confirmation, grinning a bit wider.

"Yeah, and let me tell you, Moony did _not_ appreciate being sat upon." Remus gave him a hesitant smile at that, but was starting to feel extremely dizzy.

Lily and James rushed in, both looking concerned. Lily swiftly knelt beside Remus and forced a blood replenishing potion down his throat before he could even try to speak. She looked at the various wounds on his body and began to heal them.

When she finally looked back up, Remus was refusing to look at her, his eyes focused on the door instead.

"I am sorry for last night, Lily. I could have killed you," he said softly.

"But you didn't," Lily said softly. She reached out and gently gripped his chin, directing his eyes up. "Don't you dare blame yourself, Remus! We were silly for not paying attention to what the moon was doing. I was so focused on healing you; I sort of forgot that one minor detail."

"Minor detail?" Remus asked incredulously. "Lily—"

"Hush," Lily said, resting her hand on his lips. "I do not want to hear another word about it, Remus. Besides, I have always wondered what you look like as a wolf. Now I know."

Remus, along with James and Sirius, just stared at her. Sirius glanced at his two friends, "Lils, if we knew you were so curious, we would have arranged to take a picture."

"Yeah, or I would have sat on him _first_, and then let you see," James added with a chuckle. Remus rolled his eyes, but also smiled slightly.

"Are you feeling up to going to your room to rest, or should we levitate you?" Lily asked him. Remus snorted,

"I'll walk, thank you. Prongs, I can't believe you _sat_ on me!" he exclaimed, as James and Sirius helped him up, wrapping the cloak tighter around him. "I had _deer_ _butt_ on me! All the other werewolves are going to make fun of me now," he added with a slight pout. Lily giggled at the offended look on the face of her fiancé.

"I am a _stag_, not a 'deer' and there is nothing wrong with my butt, thank you very much!" James retorted narrowing his eyes. Sirius snorted at that statement, earning a smack on the back of the head, courtesy of Lily.

"I'll have you know, he does have a very nice butt," she stated. Sirius and Remus promptly gagged, covering their ears.

James snorted, glaring at his two friends, but relieved that the tension between them seemed to have finally broken. They were the Marauders again. Now if only they could get Peter to stop acting so strangely.

ooOoo

Remus frowned when he walked into the kitchen for breakfast. As there was not a meeting going on, there weren't many people; just James, Sirius, Lily, Frank, and Alice. They all leapt to their feet when he entered the room, looking much more put together, now that he was clean, dressed, and had several hours of sleep behind him.

"Relax, I am fine!" he exclaimed, walking to the table. "A bit tired, but Lily has excellent healing skills. I'll be stiff for a couple days. You two know that, at least," Remus said, glancing at James and Sirius.

"Remus, are you sure? You look awful!" Alice exclaimed. Remus rolled his eyes,

"Thank you, Alice. Everyone loves hearing they look horrible. Really though, I am okay. I've been doing this for a long time now. Don't fuss so much. Now, moving on to much more important matters; what is there to eat around here?"

James laughed, "You lunch is ready. You are having a steak, rare of course, and plenty of other meat to go with it. Watch it though; Lily insists on something green, though I tried to tell her Moony doesn't like vegetables."

"Nonsense, I've seen Remus eat vegetables all the time!" Lily said as she brought his plate over, an eyebrow arched. Remus laughed, accepting the plate,

"I do like veggies, usually. But for about two days after the moon I still have the taste of a wolf. Try getting one to eat broccoli. I doubt it will happen."

"Really? That is interesting," Lily said thoughtfully. "If you have the taste of a wolf, why bother cooking the meat at all?"

Remus scrunched his face at that, "Because while I might only enjoy things a wolf might, I am still human and I really don't think I could force myself to eat totally raw meat. Yuck."

James and Sirius nodded in agreement at that. "Yeah, and it wouldn't have helped him blend in during school either. Kids might have looked weird at someone eating raw meat in the great hall. It's a bit suspicious," James told her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

They all let Remus eat in peace for a while, and then Alice spoke up. "Remus, dear, now that we have you conscious and not on a mission, do you mind if we ask you some questions? I mean, I have a feeling that what little we did learn about werewolves in school was probably based on guesses with no real facts. Besides that, we want to get to know you a little better, now that you don't have to hide from us."

Remus looked at her in surprise. Very rarely did anyone want to know anything about him, or the wolf, once they found out what he was. It was a great feeling to be able to freely talk about his life, without worrying about being abandoned. Sirius, James, and Peter had already proven that people did have the ability to judge him by his actions, not just by what he was.

"Well, sure," Remus said uncertainly. James smiled, squeezing his shoulder,

"I think it's a good idea. A lot we learned in school was useless."

Alice smiled, "Very well. I guess my first question could pertain to all of you. Why did you start the nicknames?"

"Well, when we learned exactly what Remus had been hiding from us, we had a lot of questions for him too," Sirius started. Remus snorted at that,

"They followed me around all weekend with endless questions," he informed them. "But they did actually ask a relevant one. They wanted to know whether the werewolf was always a part of me, if my personality just radically changed once a month, if he was a separate entity. I actually had to think about that one for quite a while to come up with the answer.

"I think that the wolf, or 'Moony' according to the guys, is an entirely separate being that is rather strongly attached to my emotions. I can always feel him in the back of my mind. The closer to the full moon, the stronger his presence is."

"What do you mean by him being tied to your emotions?" Frank asked, looking fascinated. Remus smiled slightly,

"Well, the biggest think you would probably notice is that if I get very angry, and I mean I have to be enraged, my eyes will flash yellow. I've heard that it is 'freaky'" Remus told them, glancing and James and Sirius, who were nodding.

"Very disconcerting," James said.

"What did you guys do to make him that mad?" Lily asked. Both men looked uncomfortable, while Remus gave them a slight smirk.

"It was during 'Operation: Test to see if our best friend is a werewolf'." Remus said with laugh. "Yes, they did name it, and had a notebook and everything with a rather long checklist. Despite all that, they ignored the part of checking to see if my disappearances coincided with the full moon, which seems the easiest way to me."

"Well, it really didn't occur to us at the time, and we didn't know you would react like that!" Sirius protested weakly. Lily, Alice, and Frank were obviously on the edge of their seats, eagerly waiting the rest of the tale.

Remus rolled his eyes, and then looked at the others. "The idiots decided the best way to see if I was a werewolf, was to see how I would react if I came in contact with silver."

"Silver!" Lily shouted, causing James and Sirius to cower, and Remus to wince. Lily, a healer, noticed immediately.

"What?" she asked him. He grinned at her.

"I have exceptionally good hearing. Normally I have a spell up to filter out some of the volume."

"He invented the spell himself, cause of all the time you and James ended up screaming at each other," Sirius said with a laugh.

"Oh. Sorry Remy," Lily said, the turned back to James and Sirius.

"Silver?! You could have killed him!"

"Well they know that now," Remus said with another smirk, looking at his cowering friends. "The three of them cornered me one day, and it was only a few days before the moon, so I was a bit touchy. Peter told me that if I 'refused to tell them, then this would'." Remus said. He then stopped speaking, glaring slightly at Sirius, who flushed in embarrassment.

"The rest didn't go very well," James said quietly. "Peter threw a silver bracelet at him, and it hit his neck. Next thing we knew, he had all three of us pinned up against the wall, about a foot in the air."

"That was when we got to see his eyes turn yellow," Sirius added. "Poor Remus had been suffering through our 'brilliant' plan all month, and took it out on us then."

"In other words I gave them a lecture about how if they had just sat me down and asked, I might have been inclined to share that detail with my friends," Remus said.

"Yes, then he played a bloody cruel prank on us!" Sirius exclaimed. "He gripped his neck and started acting like he was choking, and even fell on the ground. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. We thought we had killed him!"

"Yeah, and then after he had us in tears, he evidently felt we had suffered enough. He quite calmly got to his feet, dusted himself off, and informed us that had that bracelet been made of real silver, it would have poisoned him enough to cause serious damage, if not death. Then he just left us there!"

"You idiots deserve it!" Alice snapped at them. "What an awful thing to do!"

"Well, we did learn," James said. Remus chuckled, hugging the two of them,

"You always have to do something dramatic to get anything through their thick skulls. Besides, I was pissed off," he said affectionately.

"Wow," Alice said. Remus chuckled, then continued,

"Anyways, that is probably the clearest way you will notice the wolf personality. But, a great deal of my reactions to things are toned with the way a wolf would react. I have to struggle a lot of the time to keep Moony in check. Many werewolves have little or no control over their wolf counterpart. It makes them rather antisocial around people.

"Another issue is wolf instincts, especially related to the pack. I tend to view people around me, which are close to me as my pack. I have to remind myself quite often that you guys don't see it that way exactly."

"What do you mean by pack? How is it different than how anyone else would look at their friends and family?" Frank asked. Remus sighed, brushing his hair back. He had never really gotten into this with anyone, even the other Marauders. James and Sirius looked very interested.

"Alright, in a wolf or rather werewolf pack, things tend to be very structured. There is an order of dominance, starting with the alpha, which can be male or female. Every member has their place, and a way to behave towards other members of other ranks," he told them, fidgeting slightly.

"For instance, I look at all of you, my family, James' family, many of the teachers and some other students we went to school with as part of my 'pack'. While I realize you all don't function that way, I 

can't help but see it that way. It might explain certain things that you might have seen as out of character for me. For me, my alpha— Merlin this is embarrassing," he muttered.

"Remus, you don't have to tell us anything you feel is too personal if you don't want to," Sirius told his friend firmly.

"Of course you don't," Lily said. "If we are asking something you don't wish to talk about, tell us to shove off."

Remus gave her a small smile, "It's all right, Lily. I don't mind telling you guys I guess. But I've thought about it myself and it kind of makes me seem as though I don't have all that much control over the wolf, if I let those instincts control my behavior as I do. The problem is, if I fight it too much, it makes living with Moony rather challenging. In other words, he doesn't shut up." Remus took a deep breath,

"Alright, for me I see James as the alpha, which answers all of your endless questions as to why I never tried to get him and Sirius to stop being idiots when we were a bit younger," he said. James looked startled and honestly touched. He didn't take his eyes off of Remus, who was concentrating on his hands.

"In a pack, the alpha is in charge yes, but is also responsible for the general well being of the other members. James might have been a bit…"

"Of a prick," James filled in himself, making Remus chuckle.

"Well yes, but you always look out for the rest of us. You have an excellent ability to lead others, and others are often willing to follow you. Now, for everyone else, I will admit that I ranked them above me in the general pecking order." Remus held up his hands to stall their protests.

"Relax; it isn't because I see you as better or myself as inferior. It has to do with my human personality, which is to watch and follow usually. It has more to do with Moony's personality, which is not at all like my own. In a pack, rank also has to do with age. The wolf side of a werewolf ages rather slowly. In essence, Moony is still a cub."

"A cub!" Sirius exclaimed, shocked. Remus chuckled at the expressions on their faces.

"Yes, a cub. He will get bigger and stronger. That's why I always ask you how you guys handled him through the night. You may or may not be able handle me when I am older. Depends on how Moony continues to view Padfoot and Prongs.

"He definitely wouldn't kill you, or any member of my 'pack' for that matter," Remus glanced at Lily, a concerned look on his face. Despite what she said, he was still worried that she may be angry with him. "But he would definitely bite you, so you could join his pack too."

Everyone was quite for a long moment, processing this information. Alice set her elbow on the table, then propped her head on her hand, brushing her wavy brown hair back out of her face.

"So Remus, what perks do you get from Moony?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"He's got super hearing and sight in the dark!" Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically.

"He is very strong, as he proved when he pinned all of us to the wall, by himself," James added.

"He's faster and has greatly increased stamina. Man can run for a _long _time!" Sirius said with a chuckle.

Remus rolled his eyes, "That's pretty much it," he said with a yawn. Frank and Alice exchanged a wicked look as their friend got to his feet, obviously intending to leave.

"So Remus, that increased stamina of yours… Does that mean for _everything_?" Frank asked, wiggling an eyebrow. Remus looked at him for a long moment, and then blushed slightly when he got the meaning of the question. He stalked out of the room, muttering about nosy friends with rude questions under his breath. James and Sirius were laughing hysterically. Sirius suddenly jumped to his feet,

"Wait, Moony! That's a good question!" he shouted running after his friend, James hot on his heels.

"Yeah, I can't believe we never thought of that one. Moony!"

Lily watched the three of them with a smile, rolling her eyes. She glanced at Frank and Alice, who were laughing,

"It's really great to see them smile again."

**Well that's that. Hope you liked. There will likely be more action in the next chapter! Reviews are nice... not that I am suggesting anything!**


	5. Chapter 5: Wedding Bells

**The Dreaded Author's Note:**

**So, it has been a while since my last update…(author hides behind desk, hoping readers will be nice!) In my defense, I just moved halfway across the country so things have been a bit hectic. With luck I will update more frequently, but it is impossible to tell, as I am on a rather disappoint job hunting spree out in the real world. No one is ever hiring when I am looking… I wonder if they know I am coming? Anyways, here is the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy.**

**To Be A Monster**

Chapter Five: Wedding Bells

August 12, 1980

Remus, Sirius, and Peter watched James pace anxiously with great amusement. He was getting married in less than an hour and he was a nervous wreck. It had been two months since the 'deer butt' incident, and they had all gathered at Godric's Hallow for the wedding.

"Prongs, you really should calm down. If you keep that up, you are going to wear a hole in the floor," Sirius said. James glared and let out several impolite swear words, causing his friends to roar with laughter.

"James, you have to kiss you Lily Flower with that mouth!" Peter exclaimed with a grin. James rolled his eyes and reluctantly sat down beside his friends.

"So, who did you guys bring as dates?" James asked in an attempt to distract himself. Sirius grinned,

"I brought a lovely witch by the name of Cassandra. She graduated from Beauxbatons last year. I think she may be the one!" The other Marauders snorted at this. Sirius claimed that each of his girlfriends was the 'one'. They doubted the declaration, deciding that it no long had any validity.

Shaking his head, Peter replied, "I brought Jamie, that Hufflepuff a year behind us. I think she might have finally lost her mind though. She wanted to wear nothing but flowers to the ceremony." The three of them looked at Remus expectantly. He blushed slightly,

"She's no one you know," he told them shyly. Before the guys could pester him further about his date, it was time to take their seats for the ceremony. When James was standing in front of the room beside Dumbledore, he looked around at his friends. His gaze finally settled on Remus, who was seated by a beautiful, but extremely uncomfortable looking young woman. James took a closer look at her and realized with a sudden jolt that she too was a werewolf. No wonder she was so nervous.

The ceremony ended up being perfect and even Sirius behaved himself for the duration, though he had a huge grin on his face. James and Lily said their vows and for once James managed to say what he felt for Lily without tripping over his own tongues. Peter, Sirius, and Remus exchanged happy smiles. It was about time!

Albus conducted the ceremony, honored to have been asked by some of his favorite students. His eyes were twinkling full force, as he pronounced James and Lily husband and wife. The group of about thirty friends and family stood up to cheer.

When they returned to Godric's Hollow for the reception, James and Lily gathered up the rest of the Marauders. They all looked at Remus expectantly,

"So Remy, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Sirius asked with a grin. The girl he was with looked at them all a bit shyly, hovering just behind his arm.

"This is Jenna Michaels. I met her last summer," Remus said, but did not really elaborate on where exactly he'd been last summer.

"Welcome to our home, Jenna, we are all pleased to meet you," James said, giving her a bright smile. Remus grinned when he felt Jenna relax quite noticeably, though she still looked nervous. James glanced around to make sure Sirius and Peter's dates were occupied away from them, then leaned towards Jenna,

"No fear Jenna, you are welcome here by all of us, both side of you," he said softly. Jenna gave him and the others an astonished expression. Remus smiled at her,

"I told you they would figure it out, and it wouldn't bother them at all," he told her gently, squeezing her hand. "After all, I almost ate Lily last moon, and she still likes me," he said. The other Marauder's eyebrows shot up at that statement. Remus was not known for making any kind of joke about someone being hurt by him.

Lily chuckled at the astonished expressions on their faces, and looked at Jenna, "Yes, not to worry. Remus taught me a very important lesson when dealing with healing a werewolf. Always remember to keep track of the moon phases!" she exclaimed. They all laughed at that, and Jenna finally relaxed.

"I am glad to meet all of you finally. Remus talked about you a lot when I first met him," she said. Sirius caught his friend fidget slightly at that, but Jenna did not go any further into the subject.

"Of course he did, after all, it must have been dreadfully boring to be without his fellow mischief makers," James said with a grin. "How long's it been since someone jinxed your wand?"

"Two days," Remus muttered in irritation, glancing at Sirius. "For some reason, a simple cleaning charm changed my entire wardrobe pink with little gold stars."

Sirius let out a snort, then burst into laughter, "Sorry Moony, I couldn't resist. After all, it's usually very hard to play a prank on you. I figured that it had been so long, you might have your guard down. Besides, I still owed you a bit of revenge for that prank when we graduated."

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that," Peter exclaimed, glancing at James. The new husband had a rather wicked expression on his face. Remus rolled his eyes, glancing at Jenna,

"Don't be surprised if I can suddenly only speak in a rhyme, or you find that my skin is green with silver spots sometime in the near future," he said. Jenna giggled, looking a Lily.

"Are they always like this?" she asked. Apparently it was loud enough for others to hear, because at least seven people answered, "Yes!"

"Absolutely dear, they are always like that. You wouldn't believe how much research I've had to do in order to release them when they prank each other. The one who cast the spell absolutely refuses to fix it out of some bizarre male principal."

"But Lily, what would be the point of the prank if we just turned around and fixed it again?" Sirius asked, a very convincing puppy dog look on his face. Lily rolled her eyes and smacked the back of his head.

ooOoo

Later that evening, it was time for the speeches. Sirius, Remus, and Peter would be speaking for James, while Alice and two of Lily's cousins would be speaking for her. After the girls finished speaking, Lily was in tears, hugging her friend and relatives. James grinned at his friends, mouthing an _I told you she would cry._ The Marauder's grinned at each other. James was expecting them to make him laugh. They certainly intended no such thing. Well, he would laugh some, but he would also pay for teasing Lily.

Sirius went first, giving his friends a smile. "The first thing I have to say about the marriage of James and Lily is, it's about time!" he exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh. "I have been listening to James talk about Lily since he decided that girls didn't have cooties. For anyone that doesn't know the two of them, it would be very difficult indeed to see that they love each other. I've never met two people that can shout at each other so much, yet still be together.

"When I first met James on Platform 9 and ¾, I was a little hesitant. After all, he was from a pureblooded Light family, and that was everything that I ever wanted to be. Why would he be willing to give me, a kid from a predominately Dark family, a chance? My mother was in the midst of a tirade about how I had better not cause problems, and she expected that I would be in Slytherin, despite my desire to be anywhere else.

"Much to my surprise, he walked right up to me, and asked if I would be willing to sit with him. He informed my mother, to her face no less, that it was not her decision about where I would be placed, and that if she cared that much, then perhaps she needed to reset her priorities. I was shocked; no one had ever stood up to my mother like that before. Apparently my mother was shocked as well, as she didn't say a word as James led me onto the train.

"I have no doubts that his act of friendship, before we were even friends, is the reason that I stuck with my determination to be the first white sheep of the Black family." Here, Sirius looked right into his friends eyes,

"James, I thank you for that. You are not only my best friend, but you are my brother. You and your family took me in at I time when I was convinced that no one wanted me. You are an excellent leader, a caring friend, a loving brother, and I know that you will make a great husband," he said, lifting his glass. James lifted his as well, looking rather touched, and startled by the way the speech turned out.

Peter went next, smiling at his friend. "James, I want to congratulate you on marrying Lily. We hoped that you would be with someone who was capable of making sure that you don't set your own hair on fire," he paused, then added with a grin, "Again, that is." The crowd laughed as James bounced his head on the table.

"James my friend, I have to say that you deserve to be happy with the girl you've loved for so long. We weren't immediate friends when we first started rooming together, but you and Sirius both took me under your wings. You were the first person to tell me that I was capable of mastering things that I perceived to be far beyond my ability, if I would just put my mind to it. You helped a scared little boy finally get enough courage to face going to Transfiguration without being terrified," he said, smiling a bit a Minerva McGonagall.

"You told me that it didn't matter what others thought of me, and that is something that I took to heart. I am very proud to have you as a friend, and a brother, and I too want to congratulate you and wish you all the happiness in the world with your Lily-Flower," he said, raising his glass. James again raised his glass, still smiling, and looking a little closer to tears.

Remus stepped forward for his turn. "James, have to say that this wedding turned out much better than the time you cast that charm on Sirius to make him think he was Lily and you were getting married," he said, causing an uproar of laughter. James blushed, and Lily gave him an incredulous look. Remus chuckled,

"I was the last member you pulled into your group of friends, and as I remember it, I tried very hard in our first year to ignore all three of you. After all, I was there to learn, not to play pranks on poor unsuspecting teachers," he said. Sirius let out a snort at this, as once he'd joined, Remus was the only one who could plan a successful prank on a teacher.

"When you realized that I was consciously avoiding making friends with anyone, and not just you guys, you showed the initiative to find out why. At the time, I was extremely annoyed with you. I had one chance to go to school, and I did not want to risk it by trying to be friends with anyone. After all, I'd never had a friend that knew me well before, so why should I start, and risk my shot at an education.

"You persisted relentlessly, and finally convinced me that the three of you were at least worth the chance. You told me that whatever I was hiding, or whatever I was afraid of, I couldn't know that you would hurt me unless I first gave you a chance.

"I did, and took on the role of "Guy in Charge of Making Our Ridiculous Plans Actually Work". By the end of our first year, I was relaxed, and found that it felt good to have kids my own age to talk to. During our second year, though Sirius was the first to become suspicious of my monthly disappearances, you were the one that insisted on finding out if I was okay.

"After all, you could hardly fail to notice that I consistently returned looking as though I had been fighting with a bear. You chased me around for weeks, trying to find out my secret. Though you drove me crazy with it, you also told me each time I caught you at it, that you didn't care what it ways. No matter what you discovered, you would still be my friend.

"I was completely horrified when I overheard the three of you one night. You had guessed my secret that I had tried so hard to keep. The one that could get me kicked out of school or even killed. I didn't know what to do, and was ready to panic. But then, I heard what you said to Sirius and Peter, and it was something that stuck with me, and changed my entire outlook on my curse.

"You said that no matter what, I was your friend. You didn't care if I changed into a violent wolf once a month, because you knew that above all else, I was a person. It was something I had never heard before from anyone that knew what I was. You said that your goal for the year, besides finding out if I was actually a werewolf, was proving to me that I was _not_ a monster. It struck me very hard that you knew how I felt about myself, when you weren't even sure if it was true or not.

"For the first time, I realized that it was okay to risk things that were important to me to have friends. You gave me the confidence I needed to start seeing myself as human. It took a long time, but you never gave up on me. The first full moon after you discovered the truth, you snuck down to the hospital wing and told me that you would find some way to make things a little easier on me, and that once you did, you would teach my wolf a lesson for giving me such a hard time.

"I think it must have worked, as Moony still shies away from venison," he added with a smile. "If you can manage to teach a stubborn werewolf a new trick, then I know that you will be a great family man. Lily made a pretty good catch with you and I wish you both the best of luck," he said raising his glass. There were several tears rolling down James' face, as he jumped up and hugged his three best friends.

"I can't believe you guys made me cry!" he exclaimed quietly. "But you guys are the best. Thank you," he added.

"You're welcome Jamesie," Sirius said magnanimously. "I imagine you won't feel the same in a few minutes."

James backed up, looking suspiciously at his grinning friends, "Uh oh, what did you three do?"

"Oh nothing," Remus said loftily. "Just something we put together for you and Lily. Your parents were of great assistance."

Lily heard her name and abruptly stopped laughing. Both she and James whirled on their parents, who had wide grins on their faces. Sirius jumped up onto one of the tables,

"And now that we have all that mushy stuff out of the way, it is time for a little fun. We have compiled a rather interesting show of photographs for you all. We call it the lives of Lily and James, newborn to now. It is a compilation of cute, but horribly funny photographs that friends and family have collected over the year. We hope you enjoy."

By the end of the evening, everyone had laughed so hard, that their sides were hurting, including James and Lily. It was nice to be able to enjoy the evening for the first time in a long while. For once, their thoughts were not on the war, and they all took the chance to enjoy it. It was late in the evening when James and Lily Potter said farewell to all of their guests.

The Marauders were the last ones to go, and finally they were alone for the first time as man and wife.

ooOoo

Remus and Jenna Apparated to the small home that Remus had made for himself. Jenna sat down on a battered but clean sofa and watched as he made them tea. When he sat down with her in front of the fireplace, she spoke soflty.

"You really care about them, don't you?" she asked, holding his hand.

"Very much. They are my brothers. The only family I really have left," Remus said with a thoughtful sigh.

"But they still don't know everything about you, do they? Have you told them about last summer? Or what the Ministry is doing to us? Or what they want to do?"

"No, I haven't talked about it yet. I wanted to wait until after they got married. I didn't want them worrying about me the entire time. I'll have to tell them soon. If the Ministry manages to approve their new plan for werewolves, we won't be around that much longer."

Jenna hugged him tightly, "I am scared, Remus. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't want to die either. I don't understand why they are allowed to do this to us! The only crime we seem to have committed is being bitten by another werewolf, yet it seems enough to condemn us all!"

"I know Jenna. If I can just figure out a way past this first 'test' they want to try with me. As the only open, law-abiding, werewolf they know, they want to use me for their demonstration. If I can pass it, then I can buy us a lot of time. The only problem is, I have _no_ control over my wolf!" he exclaimed in frustration. He kissed Jenna's forehead, holding us tight.

"I will figure something out. Once I talk to the Marauders, we can maybe come up with something."

"I hope so, Remus. I don't want to see the day when it becomes an open hunting season for werewolves. They will all seek refuge with Voldemort for sure."

Remus nodded in agreement with that statement. He knew that if the Ministry decided that werewolves were to be hunted down, the Light side would take a huge blow. At the moment, most of the big packs were neutral. They had decided that the Ministry did not count as either Light or Dark aligned. But if the Ministry allowed them to be killed, and either side started to kill them, they would all immediately join Voldemort, despite all the disadvantages. With luck, they would get out of the war alive that way.

Remus sighed, looking out the window at the celestial body that controlled so much of his life. It was a half moon tonight, which meant he was feeling his best. It was as far as he could get from either side of the moon. What would happen in the next few months, he didn't know, but he was not looking forward to it. Not at all.

**There it is, chapter five in all its glory. Feel free to leave a review. I only did a basic spell check on this, so if there are any major errors, it is because I did not check my work thoroughly and the blame is on yours truly :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Plans

Chapter Six: Plans:

Remus Lupin stared up at the depressing building that was Headquarters for the Order. It had been two weeks since James had gotten himself married, and the full moon was the next day. Remus had to say, he would much rather be in bed at home, pretending that the world didn't exist.

However, Albus had requested his presence, and Remus really didn't feel as if he could refuse. He was feeling extremely anxious and on edge though, so he hoped that this meeting would not be stressful. Moony was on the edge of his mind, and Remus was sure the wolf was growling at him. He wasn't entirely sure why the wolf was so angry this month, but it had him worried. Not only that, it had him reacting very sensitively to things around him.

Rubbing his forehead, he walked into the building, and was surprised by the fact that it seemed quite. Surely he couldn't be the first one to arrive? Remus walked down the hall into the room where they normally held meetings. He was startled to see that only Albus, Minerva, James, Lily, Sirius, Peter, Alice and Frank were there.

Curious, Remus walked in, causing everyone to turn to look at him. Lily jumped up, rushing over to him. "Remus! Goodness, you look terrible," Lily said in alarm. Sirius let out a soft snort at that. Remus gave Lily a tired smile,

"Thanks, Lily," he said with a quiet laugh. He knew that she would see his eyes almost glazed over in pain, as he was having trouble hiding it this time.

"You really don't look so hot, even for you Remy," Sirius suddenly said in concern. Remus flinched at the volume of his voice, refraining from letting out a pained moan.

"Yes, well, Moony is not happy this moon. He's been growling and whining for two days now," Remus said, plopping down in a chair.

Albus looked at his young student, an eyebrow raised. He knew that there was more too it then that, but despite his vast stores of knowledge, he really didn't know enough about the species to know what it was.

"Remy, what's going on?" James asked in concern. "I know there is something up; I saw the looks you and Jenna were giving each other at the wedding."

Remus sighed, looking at them all. The faces were honestly concerned, and he knew that he couldn't lie to him.

"Moony is probably feeding off my own anxiety. I have about a month now before I have to figure out how in the world to have Moony locked in a room with a person and not hurt said person," he said soflty.

"What?" Minerva exclaimed. "Why in the world do you have to do that?"

"The Ministry," Remus said looking angry. "We protest that we aren't evil and dark, so they decided to pick the one night that we are dangerous to make us prove it. I was chosen for this stupid experiment since I am the most recognized werewolf in Britain at the moment, besides Fenrir Greyback. Apparently, they don't really want to try to capture him."

James, Sirius, and Peter were watching Remus closely, or rather, watching his eyes. The others in the room decided to let the Marauder's handle the situation, as no one else had ever dealt with an enraged werewolf this close to the full moon.

"Remy, can you just avoid the Ministry?" Peter asked cautiously. They needed to figure out how bad it all was before they would be able to calm Remus down at all.

"No, I can't! They've decided that if I don't show up, it counts as failing and they will immediately pass a law allowing it to be legal to hunt down and kill werewolves. I cannot condemn them all, but I can't think of a way to possibly be able to avoid Moony's natural reaction. Even in human form on the day of a full moon, it is difficult to control him."

Remus was trembling, looking extremely stressed out. He looked at Dumbledore, "Albus, if the Ministry allows this, you will have nearly 100,000 people join the Dark in this war," he said softly. "They will not stand by while we are slaughtered."

Sirius came and sat down beside Remus, handing him a bar of chocolate, which to the amazement of everyone in the room, he began to eat it. The lines in his forehead relaxed some, and the amber shine in his eyes seemed to pull back towards a more normal color.

When Remus finished the candy, he caught the startled expressions on everyone's face. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"How did-?" Alice started, looking astounded. Lily walked over and looked right into Remus' eyes, from a rather close distance, causing the werewolf to jerk back in surprise.

"That little chocolate bar calms you down that much?" she asked, still staring at him. James and Sirius had been reduced to helpless laughter on the floor, while Peter was shaking his head and laughing. Albus had that delighted twinkle in his eyes again as he sucked on one of his sherbet lemons.

"Oh that, well yeah I guess it did. Moony like chocolate. I think because he likes the effects, but he can't consume it himself as it would make him ill," Remus told him.

"Remus, I think we can come up with a way to get you guys out of this," James said, finally getting off the floor.

"How?" Remus said, looking a bit hopeless.

"It's going to be a bit dangerous, but since you have the full moon tomorrow, we'll be able to try it out in a relatively safe environment."

"What are you talking about James? Try what out?"

"Well, I think the first thing we need to do is have you gorge on quite a bit of chocolate tomorrow before the moon comes up. It should help make Moony more docile. We'll all be with you as usual, and if the chocolate seemed to help some, we can try it."

"James! Try what?" Remus, Lily, and Alice asked in exasperation.

"Remus, you said that Moony would not actually kill a member of you 'pack', right?" James asked intently.

"Well, yeah," Remus said hesitantly, suspicious about where this was going.

"I think that you should let one of us," James said motioning to the other Marauders, "be the human placed in the cell with you for the Ministry."

"What!" Remus yelped. "No, no way! You'd have to be in human form. No, not going to happen!"

"Remy, relax," Sirius said, seeing where James was going with this.

"The best chance you have at getting Moony to cooperate is to put someone in there he knows and recognizes as pack. You don't have to worry about biting us, because if you look like you are going to attack, we'll just change back to our animal form. It would still be a fail, true, but you won't have to worry about changing or killing anyone."

Remus opened his mouth to object to the plan, but then stopped and thought about it longer. His forehead wrinkled and he tilted his head to the side. He glanced at Albus,

"Do you think that will work, sir?"

"Perhaps," Albus said thoughtfully. "I think that for this moon, we should set up a place that the rest of us can observe you. If we do, then we can offer up suggestions for improvements to the overall plan."

Remus looked very hesitant at the entire idea. He'd never let anyone watch him change before, not even the Marauders. Lily had seen it, but he doubted that she had seen the worst. He was drugged, and that transformation had gone quick in an effort to get a the human blood in the room.

"Remus, we are your friends. We aren't going to be disgusted or whatever you think our opinions will be. If you really don't want us to watch you change, we can turn away for that part," Alice said gently. Remus looked at them,

"It's not that," he said uncomfortably. "It's just that, well no werewolf lets a human watch them really. The procedure is excruciating, and not very pleasant to watch. It is not at all like an Animagus transformation. It's bloody, and loud, and to be honest, I don't want to freak you guys out," he said. He looked at Lily, "You are going to see my body do things that it is _not_ supposed to do. At least, I shouldn't be able to do it and survive anyways. You may wonder about the lack of written information about the transformation itself. Anyone that has seen it has either been killed by the wolf, or Obliviated later."

"Remus dear, you don't have to worry," Minerva said gently. The others nodded in agreement,

"Yes Remus, we love you very much," Lily told him, kissing his cheek. "We will strive to remember that you are used to the experience, and that it is something that has to happen. However, I can say from an intellectual point of view, I can't wait to compare the real thing to the Muggle movies," she said with a giggle.

Remus raised an eyebrow, "Muggle movies?" he asked.

"Oh yes, didn't you know? Werewolves are a favorite of Muggles. They are quite prominent in a lot of movies, as are vampires. The portrayal of vampires is entirely inaccurate," Lily giggled. James and Sirius were grinning,

"Lily dear, can we watch those Muggle movies one day soon? I'd like to see what they think," James said. Remus looked thoughtful,

"That might be fascinating, to see how a race views a creature they don't believe exists," he said. He looked around, "All right, I suppose we can try it," he said. "How many of you are Animagi?"

James looked shocked when Alice, Frank, and Lily raised their hands with sheepish expressions on their faces. Minerva smiled, having raised her hand as well.

"Lily! You never told me!" James exclaimed.

"Well dear, the three of us only just figured out how to do it. We figured that if the three of you could manage it, then we could do it too. Why do you ask, Remus?" Lily asked, turning to the grinning werewolf.

"Well, I think it might be a good idea to see if having more of my 'pack' involved while we are testing to see if I will eat James for lunch. Depending on your form that is. It takes a long time to convince Moony not to eat an animal he considers prey, whether or not they are pack. I still pounce on Peter," he said, giving his friend an embarrassed smile. Peter chuckled, patting his shoulder,

"That's okay, Remus. Playing dodge Moony's teeth has made me much faster."

"Wait a sec, did you say, see if you eat _James_ for lunch?" James asked suddenly. Remus laughed and nodded,

"Yes, I believe I did."

"How did I get volunteered for bait?" he asked good-naturedly.

"Well, in case I do decide to bite you, deer tastes better than dog or rat," Remus said, wickedly. James gave him a horribly offended expression,

"Hey!"

Remus shook his head, "No, the reason I think you should do it is because of the way Moony views you as alpha, even if you look like dinner as an animal and as a human. If you keep a commanding expression on your face, and look aggressive, I think you just might be able to intimidate the wolf," he said more seriously.

"You think? I thought that he might snap if I was aggressive."

"No, I don't think so. If you just passively sat there, I believe he would try to challenge you for leadership. Moony is getting old enough to want to be the leader, so you are going to have to show him who's boss. Maybe we can give you a thin flexible stick to hit him with, in place of a nip," Remus replied.

James' mouth actually dropped open, "You're telling me that you want me to hit a werewolf with a stick while I am in _human form_?" he yelped. Remus laughed,

"Relax James, we'll give you a long stick. Sirius will be able to hold me off," he said, then glanced at Minerva, "Uh, Professor, I don't know that you should join in, or at least be very close. I might chase you," he said with a flush.

Minerva laughed, "I think that is probably a good idea dear," she said. "I doubt I would enjoy being chased, by you or Sirius," she said, glaring at Sirius, who was giving her an innocent expression.

"What do the rest of you change into?" Remus asked.

"I am a bear," Frank said with a smile. Remus looked startled at that.

"Well, would you be willing to assist? I am pretty sure that Moony wouldn't mess with a bear."

Sirius snorted, "Remus, Moony tried to take on the Whomping Willow," he said. Remus chuckled,

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," he said wryly, rubbing his head. "It definitely whomped me."

Frank laughed, "I will join you I think. You can't turn an animal, so I don't think I will mind helping, even if you are aggressive. I am a rather large bear."

"I am a fox," Lily said. "I would rather wait and be introduced to you slowly, Remus. I am not big enough to defend James, and I'd rather not be lunch. I think I'll wait until the guys can help introduce us properly."

Remus nodded, "That is probably a good idea Lily," he said with a smile. He turned to Alice, who had a mischievous expression on her face.

"I think I'd rather show you all," she said. They watched closely as she changed, and Remus let out a startled yelp when she changed into a gorgeous, solid black wolf. When she changed back, he was staring at her, an odd, highly embarrassed expression on his face.

"What's up, Remy?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"Uh, Alice, we might want to wait to introduce you to Moony as well," he said uncomfortably.

"How come?" Alice asked, looking a bit hurt.

"Well, I have no doubts that a wolf would be very effective with controlling Moony, I have no idea how I would react to a female wolf. You are the only one of the same species, and I do not want to, um…" Remus trailed off, looking down at his feet.

"Remus dear," Alice said, gently touching his cheek. He looked up at her uncertainly.

"I understand, and I am not offended at all," she told him. He looked into her eyes for a long moment before finally smiling.

"What made you think you would have problems with _that_ type of thing?" Sirius asked. Remus groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"It's a werewolf thing. When I come across any canine, I can read them I guess, or rather, understand the language. I would guess that Alice hasn't hung out with any wolves yet in her form, so she hasn't figured out how to not speak when she is a wolf yet."

"Oh dear!" Alice exclaimed. "What in the world did I say to you?"

Remus blushed, "I think I will keep that to myself," he said, causing Alice to drop her head on the table. Before anyone, namely Sirius, could comment further, Remus suddenly slumped forward in his seat, letting out a soft groan. The little boost the chocolate had given him was gone, and hi headache was back in full force. It felt as if the pressure inside his head was trying to push his eyeballs out.

"Remus?" Lily asked gently, taking a concerned step forward. James gripped her arm and shook his head. Peter and Sirius knelt close to the werewolf.

"Remus, push him back. Your mind is much stronger than that of the wolf. You can do it, but don't let him out until it is time," Peter said gently.

"He'd furious this month," Remus whispered, almost inaudibly. He looked at Sirius,

"Can I borrow a room?"

"Sure, Remy. We'll all hang out here tonight and make plans for tomorrow," Sirius said, helping his friend to his feet. Remus allowed him to help him up to one of the guest rooms. James gave Albus an alarmed look.

"I've never seen it effect him this badly," he said softly. "It's going to hurt him badly tomorrow."

"We will do what we can, James. Right now, I think I will head off to the Ministry and see if I can _convince_ the Minister to wait another two or three moons to try this out. If we can get in a few experiments beforehand, then perhaps we will be able to pull this off. I want to get him to agree that if we do manage it, he has to leave the werewolves alone."

"If anyone can do it, it is you, sir," James said with a smile. When Albus and Minerva left, promising to return the next day, the friends sat close together. Alice, Frank, and Lily were looking at James and Peter.

"I never realized how much this would actually affect him," Alice said quietly.

"It does, a lot. He skimmed over the issue when we were talking, but do you remember when he said that Moony is only a cub?" James asked. They all nodded, and James sighed, looking sad.

"What he neglected to mention is that human side is aging too fast. Despite his strength and speed, he is not immortal. You've all seen the gray hair. His body is the equivalent of someone fifty or sixty years old, though you will never hear him complain about it. Werewolves bitten as young as he was normally don't make it past the age of forty or so, if that. The transformations are hard on him, and if the Ministry or Voldemort doesn't kill him first, it will be the lycanthropy that does so."

Lily had place her hands over her mouth in horror, "Oh no!" she said, horrified. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"Not really," Sirius said, walking into the room, a grim look on his face. Not unless we cure him. Even if we found some way to let him keep his mind when he's changed, the transformations will still tear his body apart."

They all looked very upset at this news. "You haven't seen it yet because you haven't known about his secret long enough, but he gets sicker earlier, and heals slower after each full moon," Peter said softly. "Most people only see the monster, but they do not realize that there is a reason lycanthropy is called a curse."

Lily looked at Alice in determination, "I think I found something I want to focus my research on," she said. Lily nodded in agreement at that. It seemed like a very good idea, and something they could actually do to help their friend.

ooOoo

Remus sat in the guest room on the bed, his eyes closed in meditation. His head hurt too much to sleep, and he really need to try and calm Moony down if they had any hope of getting him to obey James in human form.

His thoughts drifted to his friends, and he couldn't help but smile. It seemed that they would go through a good deal of effort to help him out. He knew that he would never be able to repay them for their efforts. He simply didn't have the time, or the means to give back much of anything. He wished there was something he could do.

But for now, he would have to settle on focusing, and getting Moony to behave himself. He hoped this plan of theirs would work, and that James would be able to change back quickly enough to avoid getting bitten. He would never forgive himself if he hurt, or killed his friend, or worse, passed on this hellish curse.

He turned his thoughts to Jenna, and smiled again. She was a wonderful woman. She'd only been bitten about a year ago, and she was taking the transformations extremely well. Her wolf was much more docile than Moony, and did not fight her every step of the way. Hopefully, when they found a way to defeat the Ministry, James and the others would help introduce their wolf forms. He wanted to make sure that he wouldn't hurt her before he allowed them to transform together.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. He really didn't know why she wanted to get close to him. She knew how long he'd already been a werewolf, yet she was extremely determined to get to know him. In most things, she was more fortunate than him. She came from a wealthy family, and they had not disinherited her when she'd been bit.

He was glad that she didn't have to struggle for a day to day living as he did, but in time, if things kept progressing the way they did, the Ministry would manage to ruin her life as well.

He didn't realize how long he sat lost in his thoughts until Sirius gently tapped on the door. "Remy, we should probably start stuffing you with chocolate. The moon will be up in a few hours."

Remus glanced towards the window, and saw with surprise, that the sun was indeed getting lower in the sky. Remus nodded, getting to his feet and following Sirius out. His friends spent the remainder of the night trying to cheer him up by sharing some of the funny Marauder stories. Albus and Minerva were surprised at some of the stories, and Minerva announced that she needed to take off a lot of extra points from Gryffindor, just on principle.

Albus glanced at the clock, "It is nearly time Remus. Perhaps we should show you the room we set up, and get you comfortable."

Remus nodded, a somewhat distracted expression on his face. They all walked to the basement. When they entered the large room, Remus stopped, a somewhat disbelieving expression on his face. In the center of the room was a huge glass box that was filled with a grass and some logs and large rubber objects, designed to keep him entertained.

His eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at the others. It was getting harder to concentrate. "Let's go set everyone up. It's getting harder to concentrate, he said, despite feeling very lethargic from the chocolate. Moony knew it was almost time to play.

Remus walked into the room and put everyone where he wanted them. James was stationed as far from Remus as he could get. He would remain in human form, standing up, and attempting to look intimidating. Frank, along with Peter, would be lurking halfway, in case he got past Sirius. Sirius would remain the closest to Remus.

Before Remus closed the door, he glanced at Albus, Minerva, Alice, and Lily. "I am afraid you guys are going to have to see me naked. I don't want to eat yet another pair of robes," he said, rolling his eyes slightly, but determined not to look embarrassed.

He closed the door, and watched as Albus locked the room up tight. Remus removed his clothing and vanished them up to his room. Alice was shocked by the number and size of scars that littered his body. Remus knelt on the ground and closed his eyes. They watched as he purposely took deep breaths, trying to concentrate keeping control.

Lily and Alice held each other tightly, watching in anxiety. They were curious, but terrified at the same time. Albus watched the fake window that magically reproduced the outside. Suddenly the moon came up over the horizon, and they watched Remus as his entire body stiffened.

Eyes wide, they watched as he suddenly threw his head back in pain and let out a loud scream, his body contorting in severe pain.

It was time.


	7. Chapter 7: Moony

**Author's Note: Okay, I know this chapter is short, but I hope you enjoy anyways. This is the way I always pictured one of my very favorite characters, Moony. I hope that you enjoy! This is my third update in less than a week, so I think I've been on a roll :)**

Chapter Seven: Moony

Lily watched the scene in front of her in horror, a sick feeling in her stomach, as Remus made the gruesome transformation from man to wolf. It was nothing at all like Muggle movies portrayed, and despite having been warned, she still had a difficult time watching.

Remus' friends could only watch helplessly as they heard the sickening sounds of bones snapping, crunching, and shattering as the rearranged themselves into a wolf body. The moving bones ripped through skin and muscle, covering him with blood, only to be healed, and then immediately ripped apart again.

Grey and white fur slowly began to cover the nearly wolf-shaped body. Paws and a snout formed, and he was suddenly down on all fours.

The worst thing about the entire process was listening to their friend's screams. Remus could not stop the cries of pain that slowly transformed into howls as he changed into the wolf. In less than two minutes, a panting grey and white wolf stood before them, slight whimpers coming from him as his head hung low. His body was trembling violently with the shock of transforming

James readied himself, knowing that it wouldn't take the wolf long to recover. For some reason, it never did. He also knew that the change back to human was worse and longer than the change into the wolf. James wiped the tears that were on his face, then forced himself to present a calm, yet commanding presence. It was the only way that he would get out of this alive, and without a bite on him.

Alice looked as though she was going to be sick, as did Minerva. Neither witch had ever seen anything so horrifying in their lives. Even Albus looked rather shaken by the experience, and it took quite a lot to disturb the normally twinkly disposition. They watched as Sirius carefully approached Moony, his head lowered, making no aggressive movements. Though Moony usually deferred to him, he tended to react violently when he was in pain.

The large black dog gently nuzzled the wolf's head, attempting to get his attention. A few more gasps for air and Moony finally looked up, shaking himself out and stretching slightly. Moony looked around with interest and noted Sirius, his pack brother, and was glad to see him again. He liked playing with his large friend. The next pack member he saw was an enormous bear. He didn't quite know how to react to this new presence.

Moony's ears went flat against his head as he cautiously walked towards the huge, dark brown grizzly bear. Moony was quite confused by the scents he was getting. One told him that this was a bigger predator, and he should stay back out of his way. Another scent was telling him that this was pack, and he should approach the bear to play. Moony also thought that he had quite a strange pack. No wolfs! Instead, bears, dogs, and worse rats and stag! They should be dinner, not pack!

Moony approached the bear cautiously, then lay down on his side, rolling over slightly, exposing his neck and his belly. Fortunately, James and Sirius had told Frank how to react to this response. Moony, it seemed, was willing to submit to this new pack member. In fact, he was doing so without a fight, which Sirius guessed was due to Frank's size. Well, it was that or all of the chocolate they'd stuffed Remus with earlier.

The bear walked over and smelled Moony, as he had been told. Frank was finding this all very strange, and a bit embarrassing, but he did not know Moony well enough to want to try to break protocol. When Moony finally got to his feet, he let out a playful yip, satisfied with this new member.

Sirius chuckled to himself. Apparently the chocolate had put the wolf in a very good mood this night. He was docile and playful, for now. Sirius felt Padfoot, his dog side, suddenly let out an instinctive growl as Moony nipped his tail playfully. Letting out a breath, Sirius turned his attention back to the wolf. They were all watching him closely when he suddenly caught the scent of a man.

Moony's head shot up in the air, prey! Man was definitely food! He whirled around and spotted James standing on the other side of the room. Sirius and Frank tensed when they heard him growl lowly, baring his teeth, all playfulness gone from his stance.

ooOoo

Lily was twisting the edge of her cloak in anxiety as she watched Moony spot James. Albus rested a hand on her shoulder, "Easy, child. Frank and Sirius will look after him. He can change forms if he needs too."

Lily nodded, and allowed Minerva and Alice to hold her hands. She watched the confrontation in the room with bated breath. She wanted to do everything she could to help Remus, but she would definitely rather not have her husband receive a bite.

ooOoo

Moony stalked towards James at a slow, stalking pace, Frank and Sirius right up close to him. He did not like this invasion of space at all. He snarled, and snapped at Sirius, who promptly bit his neck until he was suddenly on the ground. It was a form of discipline that he knew well. He also knew that dog would not release him until he was behaving correctly.

When Moony finally let out a defeated whine, and had stopped growling, Sirius let him back up, but kept a close eye on his friend. They had never really been with the wolf when he was close to a human. It was unnerving. While Moony was willing to eat any type of prey, humans were part of his instincts and were clearly a highly desirable meal for him.

James was watching everything, remaining as stoic as he could. It was hard not to be nervous when a wolf larger than yourself was trying to charge in hopes to make you into lunch. He held a long thin piece of wood in his hand that he would use to discipline Moony if he needed too. He hoped that he didn't need to. Despite Remus saying that it would be necessary, James thought it was pushing things for a man to discipline a wolf.

Moony was now sitting about twenty feet away from James, his head tilted slightly, clearly looking confused. His nose was telling him _lunch_ while his brain was telling him _alpha_. He was torn with indecision on what to do. He'd never been in such a situation. Alpha was _not_ man and was _not _lunch. Yet, here was lunch, smelling like alpha. How confusing!

Startling all of them, he laid down on the ground, his eyes on James. He looked as though he wasn't going anywhere for the time being. Padfoot let out a snort, rolling his eyes and glancing at James. It was going to be a very long night.

Over the next several hours, Moony seemed content to creep a little closer, then watch James patiently. It was as if he was waiting for the man to do something. James didn't take his eyes off the wolf, despite the slowness of the interactions. Nor did he move, even though his muscles were cramping up on him. Sirius and Frank remained alert even though they were both rather bored with the slow proceedings.

Finally, about an hour before the moon was due to set, Moony was about three feet away from James. He did not lay down, but sat there, his hackles raised. He did not growl, since Padfoot bit him every time he did. He was staring intently at James, would periodically raise his nose to take a sniff. He'd cock his head slightly, then go back to staring again.

Of course, things seemed to be going too well and the night of peace and quiet ended very abruptly. James suddenly let out a very loud sneeze, causing his eyes to close as he did so. In an instant, Moony pounced, revealing that he was indeed a hunter, and far better at it than the rest of his pack. Despite their attention, he had the advantage this close.

Large paws hit James in the chest, knock him to the ground and before he knew it, there were several gleaming teeth right in his face. Sirius and Frank didn't know what to do. They wouldn't be able to move Moony quick enough to keep him from biting James. The both froze, not wanting to antagonize the wolf. They waited, holding their breath, hoping fervently that they would not have two werewolves on their hands the next moon.

James was not moving an inch. He knew that one wrong move could get him killed. He was wearing thick dragon leather clothing that covered him everywhere but his face and head. The would deflect a gentle nip, but would probably be useless if Moony really wanted to make him into lunch.

James stared into the wild amber eyes of one of his best friends. Showing no fear, he did not back down, nor did he look away. If he did, he would lose immediately. Soft growls were coming from deep in Moony's chest. Sirius and Frank watched closely, waiting for either of them to move.

ooOoo

Lily was watching the situation, her eyes very wide. She had no idea how to respond to this fiasco. She wanted to scream, cry, and faint, all at the same time. All she could do was murmur for them to please be okay, under her breath.

ooOoo

Everyone's eyes got even wider when Moony lay down on top of James complete, his tail wagging slightly. He began to sniff the man, his ears perked forward. James still didn't move, not sure what he was doing.

Quite suddenly, Moony raised his head and let out a hair-raising howl, causing everyone to shiver a bit. Then to everyone's astonishment, Moony sat up, still on James, and looked at his alpha, head tilted slightly, his tongue hanging out. He looked decidedly amused.

Motion from Sirius caught everyone's attention. The dog was clearly laughing, and in fact, had fallen to the ground, rolling in the grass. Padfoot leapt to his feet and let out a little yip. Moony looked over at him, still looking amused, and charged the black dog, clearly wanting to play after so long of sitting still.

He trotted around, and periodically, would run back to James, who was being guarded by Frank, and nuzzle his hand, clearly wanting him to join in. Frustrated with his alpha's lack of motion, he gave him a firm head-butt to the back.

Smiling, James picked up a thick piece of rope, and wagged it at the wolf, causing Lily to yelp in alarm. Moony's eyes narrowed, as he looked at James for a long moment. He glanced at the rope, then back to James. The expression was rather calculating. In the next instant, he showed them all that even the werewolf was a prankster at heart. He grabbed the rope then gave a hard tug, and was suddenly running, James being drug behind him through the grass.

Padfoot let out a happy bark and chased after them, clearly enjoying James' predicament. James knew that if he let go, the wolf would lord it over him for a long time. Albus, Minerva, Alice, and Lily watched them all play in bemusement.

Padfoot and Moony changed games, and seemed to be trying very hard to knock Frank down, but were having a difficult time with it.

ooOoo

As they all watched, clearly pleased with the results of the experiment, Peter walked into the room. He smiled at his friends antics, then looked at Albus.

"Sir, the Wizengamot decided wait until the full moon for December 21st to test him out. I think they want to kill him on Christmas if he fails," he said soflty, looking extremely angry.

"What!" Lily yelled. "What a horrid group of people! How can they do that to someone?"

"Lily, they don't think of Remus as a 'someone', but rather, a 'something'," Peter said solemnly. "They don't care."

"The moon is about to set," Minerva said suddenly, staring at the room. They all turned to look. Sure enough, Moony was backing away from the others, his ears back, and his tail between his legs. He was letting out pained whines and shivering violently.

The others backed off, knowing that Moony would snap at anyone close when he was in pain. James had his arms around Padfoot's neck, looking very upset as he watched his friend. It was hard to watch the change back, though it didn't look nearly as bloody, since the fur was the last thing to go.

They watched as the process went in reverse, and Moony slowly turned back into Remus. It seemed to take so much longer, and then in the blink of an eye, Remus was back, tears on his face as he collapsed to his side, unconscious. Sirius and Frank immediately changed back and rushed over to Remus. James pulled out his wand and conjured a blanket and pillow right underneath his friend. When he was covered, the others entered the room.

"Can we move him to his room?" Lily asked, tears on her face. James shook his head regretfully,

"No, it is a bad idea to move him while he is still unconscious. Sometimes, he doesn't return to human form quite right. Moving him can make it worse. If there are no noticeable problems, we leave him alone until he is awake. He'll tell us if there is something wrong."

"How long until he wakes up?" Albus asked.

"Well, it takes him longer each time. He said that when he was a child, it took him only a few minutes. The last moon, it took him over an hour," Sirius told them.

Albus and Minerva conjured some blankets, pillows, and tea so they could all be comfortable while they waited. They watched the shallow breathing of their friend while quietly talking about what had happened.

It took nearly an hour and a half for Remus to finally open his eyes, and he did so with a groan. Peter gently helped the man sit up, leaning against him.

"Hey Remy, are you put together right?" Sirius asked gently. Remus cautiously moved the rest of his body parts, then nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I'm good," he mumbled. He looked around and rested his gaze on James, relaxing when he saw that his friend was still in one piece. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

"Let's get him to bed," James said soflty. Albus cast a spell that put Remus on an invisible stretcher, and they took him upstairs to his room. Lily took care of what bruises she could and left a potion to relieve pain on the side table.

The group headed off to get a few hours of sleep, so they could talk about what they were going to do with the Ministry when they were more alert.

It was going to be a long battle, but it was one they were willing to commit to for a friend. Besides the fact that losing would mean Moony's death, it would also probably mean the loss of the war. They needed the werewolves to stay neutral at the very least. Joining Voldemort would prove disastrous.

ooOoo

Alice did not immediately fall asleep. As she watched Frank breathing easily, she was lost in thought. The night had been very informative. She was determined to come up with a complete cure for lycanthropy, no matter how long it too. Potions were being developed to help control the wolf, but she didn't want to settle for that. She had a feeling that they answers lay in a different direction, and by Merlin, she would find it!


End file.
